BASED ON A LIE
"If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth"
-- a profound and disturbing quote
attributed to Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Propaganda Minister in Nazi
Germany, but also to Vladimir Lenin, founder
of the Russian Communist party.
This is
exactly what happened with the defeat of the campaign to ban the inhumane and
archaic horse-drawn carriage trade in NYC, something that any caring, civilized
people would have done long ago. It is unmanageable and an ongoing embarrassment to the city.
Those who
wanted to defeat the horse-drawn carriage ban included the self-serving Teamsters and
other unions, carriage owners and drivers, many politicians – and the media – mostly
the NY Daily News – all with their own reasons – but getting behind the real
truth had nothing to do with it.
NYC horse collapses - Sept. 2, 2016
Loss of Good Union Jobs: The main lie
was that the shuttering of this trade would cause a loss of “good union
jobs.” That claim was not only not questioned by many Council Members but was used to make their case to people who believe
everything they read. They wanted union support when they came up for reelection. Truth be damned.
Stable Land: The second
lie was that the real estate developers were lusting over the stable land so
they could make lots of money putting up luxury apartment buildings.
Both of
these lies resonated with people – job loss and unfairness by the real estate
industry – David and Goliath. But to
those of us who know the truth it just confirmed that too many people believe
what they read and hear and do not exercise critical thinking. Other lies did not quite catch on as well but
served as the cake icing to support the big lies – the number of horses who have
died while working in the trade; horses would go to slaughter; the age of the industry to make it appear
iconic; exaggerated size of stalls; horse vacations; industry regulated by several city agencies
with pages and pages of regulations; highly exaggerated financial contribution
to the economy; safety being a non-issue.
Start with one lie – and if it catches on and the chumps buy it, then the sky’s the limit.
I have
written about this many times in my blogs – challenging the media – especially
the NY Daily News for perpetuating lie after lie to ensure that the carriage
industry remains in NYC. It has now been
ten months since the failure of the ill-conceived bill that foolishly proposed building
stables in Central Park but it seems that this phony issue is still rearing its
ugly head.
Back on the Scene: Now re-enter head of the
Transport Workers Union, John Samuelsen. In an October 23, 2016 op-ed piece in the NY
Daily News he gratuitously attacked Mayor deBlasio whose administration once again turned the other cheek and did not fight back. “Transport union boss rips Mayor deBlasio for
ignoring everyday New Yorkers, warns labor leaders to rethink supporting him in
next election.”
Samuelsen
did a good deed last January when he came to the defense of the pedicab drivers
who were being shafted by the City via the proposed legislation – but they
never unionized so one wonders if this ploy was just to get attention. He obviously has his own ax to grind with
the mayor – and I say – have at it – but not on the backs of the horses please,
promoting lies. Does Mr. Samuelson have so little respect for his supporters that he will lie to make a point?
This is from the Daily News article and I
have highlighted the lies with my comments below challenging them.
“Real estate interests, meanwhile, for years have been
drooling over the West
Side properties where the popular horse carriage drivers stable their
beloved animals. Giving tourists rides through Central Park is a pretty good union job. It has
allowed many men and women to put food on the table, and put their children
through college.
What did de Blasio
do? He repeatedly tried to prohibit carriage rides in the city and wipe out hundreds of jobs.
That would have set the
stage for real estate barons to finally buy the properties and put up more skyscrapers
that 99% of New Yorkers can't even afford.
In
seeking the ban, the mayor claimed he was concerned about the horses' health
and welfare. Another crock. He never even bothered to actually visit the
stables. And as the New
York Daily News reported, independent experts said horses are "healthy,
happy and well cared for."
As
one veterinarian said in The News: "These horses are being treated with
pride and compassion, often by their individual owners/drivers. It never was about the horses. It was about Bill
and his campaign donors and proxy attack dogs in the real-estate industry. The
mayor clearly sided with the ultra-rich real estate industry (aka his campaign
donors) over the trade union movement and all workers.”
Whoa: This has been very successful propaganda. Babes in the woods, de Blasio and his
administration did not stand a chance. De Blasio was never adequately prepared about
the carriage horse issue and either would or could not challenge the lies
coming from the unions, Council Members and the media. He did not even know the language of the
original bill, talking about the electric cars in a question and answer event
in the Mid West. He, like most
Democratic politicians, are beholden to the unions.
Why: Why was the NY Daily News out to get
him – obviously using this issue as a metaphor for something else. Perhaps it was because they never wanted him to be Mayor.
Unions, on the other hand, are losing membership throughout the country. By taking this issue on, lying about the good union jobs – and winning – it was hoped to elevate their status.
Unions, on the other hand, are losing membership throughout the country. By taking this issue on, lying about the good union jobs – and winning – it was hoped to elevate their status.
Construction Union Jobs: The far west
side is part of massive new construction to gentrify the area. To even suggest that real estate developers
are drooling over the paltry stable property is embarrassing. These
are relatively small plots, which could bring the owners at least $10
million for each one if they decided to sell, which is their choice and not a land
grab as some has suggested.
Hudson Yards is the biggest development project in the city since Rockefeller Center was built in the 1930s, translating into hundreds of union jobs. New construction may well grow up around the stables, leaving the stable owners with devalued property. The ultimate joke will be on them.
Hudson Yards is the biggest development project in the city since Rockefeller Center was built in the 1930s, translating into hundreds of union jobs. New construction may well grow up around the stables, leaving the stable owners with devalued property. The ultimate joke will be on them.
The irony over this silly dishonest claim is that new construction
brings UNION JOBS. Mr. Samuelson and his
Teamster friends are being disingenuous. Unions have benefited greatly by the
growth of construction all over the city, but particularly Hudson Yards and the
adjacent areas. The construction jobs in Hudson Yards has been a windfall for the unions.
Good Union Jobs for carriage drivers? No way. Of the approximately 244 carriage-driving
licenses, only about 120 drivers belong to the Teamster local. Without total participation, it is not a
“union shop” and there are no benefits.
This means no medical, sick or vacation days – and certainly no 401ks to
save for retirement. So to even hint
that this is a good union job compared to what the MTA workers have is
insulting to all of us – not the least to loyal union members. This
ploy was to bring down Mayor de Blasio and he was not astute enough to fight
back. It also propped up the owners of
the 68 medallions, most of whom pay little in city income taxes because of
their extensive deductions in a cash only business.
As for those “independent” experts who
claim the horses live a great life – name them please with all of their
affiliations. We do know that the “study”
that showed how calm city horses are was paid for by the carriage trade and only tested on a handful of horses.
NOT a good union job.
About unions: I generally support unions – they helped create the middle class. But this is not about the value of unions - it is about the ethics and morality of lying to get your way, which must be indefensible in a civilized, democratic society. The truth is that unions are in deep trouble all over the United States. But lying to get attention will not ultimately help.
Yes, I have had the "audacity" to criticize the unions here - but please – no death threats. It has happened before. Vicious comments on the blog - anonymous or not - will be deleted and/or reported. You will not get your 15 minutes of fame on my dime.
This is a link to the accident record
we have kept. It does not include the “accident’
that occurred on Labor Day weekend, pictured above, when a driver forced his horse to make a
turn and the horse collapsed.
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