Cuomo To Unemployed New Yorkers: DROP DEAD!
Cuomo refuses to apply for FEMA aid that will provide vital benefits to unemployed New Yorkers. Now what?
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo doesn't give a damn about the poor or the working class. He doesn't care about the people living through this pandemic and doesn't even care about the people who are dead. He seems to not care about much of anything except self-promotion.
In the same week where Andrew Cuomo says his state can't give additional federal unemployment assistance because it requires too much leg-work, he announces that he has time to write and promote a book about how well he handled COVID. I see what his priorities are.
Janice Dean, a meteorologist whose father-in-law was in a nursing home and rehabilitation center, died the same day she and her husband found out he was sick. They didn't know he had contracted the novel coronavirus until they saw his death certificate. Dean also said that her husband's mother contracted COVID-19 in her assisted living facility. She was transported to the hospital and died on April 14, about two weeks after her father-in-law passed away from the novel coronavirus.
She said, "I think he actually should be writing condolence cards to people," He should be doing more of that instead of announcing his book touting his 'leadership' during the pandemic.
Dean joins many New Yorkers whose loved ones have died at nursing homes amid the pandemic. Dean and others are now calling for a bipartisan bill that would establish a panel with subpoena power to perform a top-to-bottom review of the more than 6,400 deaths reported in New York's elder care facilities at the height of the pandemic.
I feel there should be an additional panel to discuss the Governor's ability to govern in general.
During the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government provided $600 a week for unemployed workers. That was a boost to each state's unemployment benefits. That additional payment ended at the end of July.
Congress has been deadlocked over a new stimulus package for the past few weeks. Since there has been no agreement between the Republicans and Democrats, President Trump, on August 8, wrote an executive memorandum that gave states the option to participate in a federal program that would expand unemployment benefits by up to $400 per week. States would have to apply through FEMA for the aid, and if they want their residents to receive the full $400, they must shoulder twenty-five percent of the financial burden. There was a second option; forego paying that additional $100. In that case, jobless residents would only receive $300 in pandemic assistance per week.
So far, about 25 states have applied for the federal grant. Other governors ask whether Trump is authorized to pull $44 billion from FEMA to pay for it.
States FEMA Has Approved:
Arizona
Colorado
Idaho
Iowa
Louisiana
Maryland
Montana
Missouri
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Utah
States Seeking FEMA Approval
Alabama
Alaska
Arkansas
Indiana
Kentucky
Massachusetts
Michigan
New Hampshire
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Tennesee
Texas
West Virginia
Mississippi is still reviewing all options, Oregon is on the fence, and South Dakota is refusing aid. I haven't seen any news from the other states at this time.
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo now chairs the National Governors Association. He suggested that the "best way forward" would be for Congress and the Trump administration to "get back to the negotiating table." He expects the federal government to provide $500 billion in unrestricted state aid and immediate assistance to unemployed people.
What does Andrew Cuomo intend to do for his constituents in New York State? Nothing. Andrew Cuomo is refusing FEMA's unemployment money.
The number of unemployed New Yorkers increased over the month by 60,000, from 1,467,800 in June to 1,527,800 in July 2020. Is Cuomo concerned about helping the unemployed in his state?
Today, Andrew Cuomo said, "I'd rather do business with the old-time 'bookie' on the street corner than do business with FEMA." "As far as FEMA reimbursing us, that goes down with the other great lie; the check is in the mail." He says his concerns over legalities, cost, and broken promises from President Trump and FEMA.
Instead of doing what's right for people who are seriously hurting right now, he is using this as a political tool to harm the president?
The Governor told News 10NBC, "I don't know what the feds most recent decision is, I don't know that any of it is legal. I don't believe the whole executive order mechanism is legal. So, I think this is all an artificial construction for political reasons." "State's abilities to re-design their administration system (to offer the payments) is a virtual impossibility in a short period."
If that is the case, why have most states moved forward?
Cuomo said he doesn't trust FEMA and doesn't like the state's idea of doing business with them. I can't believe this guy, and he's a horrible person to do any business with. Cuomo seems to hate business people. He's hell-bent on destroying the restaurant industry and doesn't seem to enjoy live music either. He doesn't care about broadway nor nightlife in New York City.
He doesn't care about New Yorkers who can't pay their rent, business owners who are forced to survive on 33% of their former revenue, and service workers who were laid off indefinitely. He recently angered parents all across the state by punting the responsibility for school safety re-openings to the local authority. It’s fascinating how so many people want central planning for most things, but local control when it is convenient.
I've written about Cuomo HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. Democrats want a savior. They seem to be blind to their leaders' flaws, just like republicans. Cuomo is no angel. He is no one to admire. He is as self-serving as any other politician and should be held accountable for their actions.
When are people going to see the same Cuomo I see? When their money runs out, and their jobs never come back, maybe they will see the light. Why must we wait until everything falls apart ultimately before we say, "ENOUGH!"
It’s time to demand more from Andrew Cuomo and stop allowing him to destroy people’s lives for his political gain.
Clayton Craddock is an independent thinker, father of two beautiful children in New York City. He is the drummer of the hit broadway musical Ain’t Too Proud. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University’s School of Business and is a 25 year veteran of the fast-paced New York City music, scene. He has played drums in a number of hit broadway and off-broadway musicals including “Tick, tick…BOOM!, Altar Boyz, Memphis The Musical and Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill. In addition, Clayton has worked on: Footloose, Motown, The Color Purple, Rent, Little Shop of Horrors, Evita, Cats, and Avenue Q.