Gov. Kathy Hochul appears desperate — and hapless — with more than a year until her next election.
The most recent sign: She has dispatched an additional 250 National Guard members to “help keep the subway safe” over the Christmas shopping season and possibly beyond.
However, guardsmen are only legally permitted to check luggage and cannot perform most law enforcement duties.
They’re not going to get that raving madman off the platform, sorry.
However, the government believes that the 1,000 Guard members contribute to a “sense of security.” Merry Christmas!
At least that isn’t as disrespectful as her assertion that she’s saving us money by imposing congestion-pricing fees of “only” $9 instead of the original $15.
Never mind that tolls are set to rise to $12 in 2028 and $15 in 2031.
The increases may be faster and higher: the one major disadvantage of EZPass is that it makes toll hikes nearly unnoticeable.
Arguably worse are her weak $500 “Inflation Reduction” rebate cheques, which are now merely a $3 billion proposal for the next state budget, which is months away.
Nonetheless, she’s been busy posturing about it, with recent travels to Co-op City in The Bronx, the Queens Mall, and an upstate supermarket for photo opportunities praising her giveaway — which only gives us a taste of our own cash back and doesn’t even cover a third of the damage from the “congestion” toll.
The government is already facing mounting threats in 2026 from Bronx Democrat Ritchie Torres and Hudson Valley Republican Mike Lawler.
Even her chosen No. 2, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, is working to raise his own reputation in preparation for higher office.
Unfortunately, dumb gimmicks aren’t the only way the ever-cautious government is seeking to shore up her position; she’s also abandoning common-sense measures.
Hochul abandoned her pledge to limit money to declining school districts to appease suburban voters and teachers unions, despite the fact that a Rockefeller Institute research she commissioned highlighted the absurd, unjust waste.
Hochul has suddenly agreed to the “hold harmless” provision, which requires Albany to finance “ghost” students — that is, to continue sending money even to wealthy districts where enrollment is down — in order to retain full employment for teachers and administrators.
Again, it’s roughly two years until the next gubernatorial race, and Hochul is already struggling.
The question is becoming less about whether she has any chance of retaining her position and more about how much damage she will cause for the remainder of her tenure.
