[](/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/01/bill-de-blasio-park-slope-getty.jpg)On the list of recent news that doesn’t make any sense at all to this born-and-bred American, who owns a NY PR agency and pays taxes:
Why is it that nationwide people can legally play lottery, but only a handful of states have legal online gambling? And why is it that in the midst of this brutal winter, my friends who live in New Jersey play poker and gamble online at major online casinos like www.wsop.com, Harrahscasino.com, and Caesarscasino.com and there are $1 million prizes. Yet because I live in New York City, I can’t play.
It seems that states like New Jersey will raise hundreds of millions of dollars from Internet gambling – and as technology has changed the world, so too should it be expected that people can gamble from home and their mobile devices just as they do everything else. Perhaps government should not have the right to tell me where I can gamble – if I live in New Jersey as an adult, I can play, but as a NYC resident, I can’t? And if I want to get in my car and drive a few minutes over the NJ border, then I can play on my cell-phone? Seems rather illogical. One may wonder why can one play the lottery in New York City, but not gamble online there.
Anything and everything which lowers the already absurdly high taxes should be considered – and the rights of all Americans should be considered, not only those who live in favored states. Stop big brothering me!
Speaking of the Garden State, it is amusing to watch the Obama-loving media continually pursue Chris Christie’s supposed lack of knowledge about the traffic scandal. While I am no great fan of Christie, why is it that he is condemned, while Obama himself never seems to know anything about anything. Frankly, the Obama party line has extended to Attorney General Eric Holder (Operation Fast & Furious), and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on so many different issues. Unlike Obama, Christie actually did what leaders do – he stood up and has taken responsibility, saying: “In the end, I have 65,000 people working for me every day, and I cannot know what each one of them is doing at every minute… but that doesn’t matter, I’m ultimately responsible for what they do.” Yet, surely it is not new news that the Democrats face different coverage than do the Republicans.
Now, to my beloved New York City, where a bill that has not even taken effect yet has already been expanded. It is sickening to learn that our new mayor, Bill de Blasio, has decided to expand the sick leave law to cover 500,000 more workers, and will now include companies that employ five people or more. The new legislation says that employees who work 30 hours or more a week can earn five sick days a year.
What was also removed from the bill was “economic trigger” language that would delay the legislation if the economy slumps. The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs will enforce this legislation – even though it currently has no regulatory body there. More strain on the state which is already amongst the toughest for small business to succeed in is not beneficial for anyone in this city. Costs keep rising, as do taxes, yet government adds more barriers for employers.
This law is being enacted, despite a 2011 report by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, which showed that 14% of businesses had reduced profits after this program was implemented there. During these difficult economic times, is this really something we need or can afford? Amazing how people like Obama and de Blasio, who have never run businesses, can come in and implement policies that harm business.
How did America ever get built without big brother ensuring that “workers” were protected? Last I checked, there was no slavery in this country, and people were free to quit. Why should a company pay someone who isn’t on the clock?
For America to continue its great legacy, good old fashioned hard work needs to come back into style. Smaller government and less government intervention will help Americans of all backgrounds. Let’s hope in 2014 we see sanity from government. Unfortunately, in NYC and from Washington, D.C., I ain’t holding my breath.
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