Op-Ed by Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano
Gov. Hochul and the Albany Democrats have officially lost touch with reality. When Long Islanders were bracing for a crippling LIRR strike and people were worrying about how to get to work, Hochul’s response? “Stay home.”
That’s not leadership. That’s surrender.
Bruce Blakeman and Assembly Republican Leader Ed Ra were absolutely right to demand that congestion pricing be suspended during this and any other LIRR strike. If commuters are forced off the trains and into their cars because the MTA can’t keep the rails running, then slapping them with another $9 tax to enter Manhattan is outrageous.
Long Islanders already pay some of the highest taxes in America. We fund the MTA. We fund the city. We fund illegal immigration. And Hochul had no problem punishing people when her transit system failed them?
The governor claimed that there was “no legal mechanism” to suspend the toll. Funny how there’s always a legal mechanism when Albany wants to take more money out of taxpayers’ pockets, but suddenly their hands are tied when residents need relief.
This entire congestion pricing scheme has been a cash grab from day one. It punishes suburban commuters, hurts small businesses, drives up costs and treats Long Island like an ATM machine for New York City’s financial disasters.
The message from Albany Democrats is clear: pay more, expect less and be quiet about it.
I stand with Bruce Blakeman, Ed Ra and every hardworking commuter being squeezed by Hochul’s failed policies. If the trains aren’t running, the tolls shouldn’t be either. And frankly, congestion pricing should be repealed altogether.
Long Islanders are tired of being treated like second-class citizens by Democrat political elites who couldn’t care less about the people footing the bill.