Today, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, during his State of the City annual message, offers to share with condominium and homeowners the city cash surplus. They will get what amounts to a tax break of $200.00 for the year. That can evaporate in one weekend of family entertainment.
The home owner remembers that when Bloomberg became mayor, he requested the city council raise the real estate tax to 25% more. The city council, under the leadership of former Speaker Gifford Miller lowered the mayor's request to 18%. Later, when the city economy recuperated from the terrorist attack on 9/11, the mayor requested the city council and the state legislature to refund homeowners $400.00 annually. The offer today and the one three years ago, looks like a three card monty game. The taxpayers are not getting money back, they are getting a tiny portion of what they are already paid for.
Meanwhile, the city police are lauded every moment by city leaders for the outstanding job they did during the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, and praised for the job of bringing crime down. What do they have instead? A $25,000 a year rookie officer, or rather the equivalent of a salary below the poverty level. Many of them are on food stamps. Every other county in New York State and perhaps Borat's Kazhakstan are paying police more.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that poverty is the ingredient that breeds crime. City leaders want to eradicate corruption within the Police Department, however, an annual salary as low as $25,000 will lead some officers to corruption. A police officer makes $17,000 a year after taxes. Now imagine the irony. In a city where the average condo price is $1.1 million, the doorman earns more than a cop. Yes, the doorman performs a vital function. But you don't call the doorman when your apartment is being robbed.
The culprit of this scheme is not only the mayor, but it is the president of the Police Benevolent Association, Mr. Patrick Lynch. A police officer told this writer on the condition of anonymity that “Mr. Lynch met with the same city’s negotiation teams that Ms. Randi Weingarten, the president of the teacher association, negotiated for her membership. Ms. Weingarten secured a raise for her membership, and Mr. Lynch settled. A rookie cop training in the Police Academy for the first six months is paid a yearly salary of 25,000. After six months, his salary increases to $32,000 yearly.
Our billionaire mayor would have done better by giving the cops a raise with a thank you note. Disgruntled cops lead to an ineffective work force. That has a ripple effect on the public and crime in general. A $200 appeasement fee is not a lot to ask from property owners. Forget the tax giveback shuffle.
But the mayor is accustomed to opening a $300.00 bottle champagne. What does he know about the working class?
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New York's Finest earning a starting salary of 25,000 is a total blast from the past. Police Officers which took the oath to Protect and Serve the City during the 1980's were making about the same amount of money as police officers today. To some New Yorkers as well as transplanted New Yorkers the job is viewed as more than just a job. They posess a sense of a bygone era when young people had pride in a government uniform which represented pride & honor. There are no words that can describe the feeling of looking into the faces of family, friends and strangers when the first lay eye's on the NEW YOU. No amount of money can buy that short felt feeling of being a celebrity in your small surroundings. The feelings quickly pass & reality sets in. As time passes the lack of funds force police officers to live outside the city where they can find afforable housing. The City that they serve is not affordable to live in. Once a police officer makes the decision to reside outside of the city the daily police work hours now go from 8 1/2 to 12 1/2 including the communte, not taking into consideration the overtime that they MUST work to make ends meet. To consider a part time job outside the NYPD, would not help with the overall longterm pension earnings considering any outside income is NOT pensionable not to mention the liabilty concerns in realtion to off duty employment. Twenty years of poice duty quickly pass and now a police officer takes on the role of a retired NYC Cop continuing to count the numbers & being extra careful not to get sick from the years of long crazy days which can lead to long term health concerns. The pride you once had for the uniform you wore always remains a part of you, and your new goal becomes to enjoy the fruits of your labor, always praying & hoping that your new security job won't be your last assignment, but yet we still do it, just to be part of the biggest family in world, THE NYPD..
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