There are certain things you come to expect if you pay any attention to politics in New York State. The State Business Council first and foremost supports government action that helps businesses while limiting government taxes and spending to the lowest level possible. The Working Families Party supports government programs and actions that aid people struggling to get by. They promote a variety of public service programs.
Because of how they stake out their positions on public issues, it is hard to imagine the Business Council and the Working Families Party (WFP) working together on anything. Low and behold, they are both working to elect Assemblyman Jon Rivera to the State Senate.
Rivera is endorsed by the WFP for the state Senate in the 61st District. The Business Council promoted a fundraiser in Albany for Rivera on January 20th; the price of a ticket was $500/1000. The Business Council promoted another fundraiser in Albany for Rivera on May 19th; ticket prices ranged between $250 and $5,000 per person.
To explain the dichotomy, some information about the respective positions on public issues might be helpful. The Business Council’s website indicates their goals:
Reduce the tax burden… New York State needs to reduce its real property taxes and reduce its marginal personal income tax rates – which affect both residents and small businesses.
We need a cap to limit annual increases in state spending.
[The state] needs to reduce taxes imposed on key business sectors such as manufacturing and financial services.
New York must balance the benefits to be derived by investments in energy efficiency, alternate sources of electricity generation, and infrastructure with the costs of those investments and the burdens they place on New York’s businesses and consumers.
Here is what the WFP stands for, entitled the Working Families Guarantee, as reported on their website:
Tax the rich & get big money out of politics
A home you can afford – lower rents, mortgages and utility costs
Healthcare you can rely on – guaranteed healthcare for all
12 weeks of paid family and medical leave
And where does Rivera stand on the issues? His recent mailer includes:
Tax the rich and make corporations pay their fair share
Crack down on price gouging by utilities and big corporations
Fight for healthcare and prescription drugs we can afford
So how exactly do the Business Council and the WFP come together to support a candidate? There are some very basic questions.
As a state legislator, do you “tax the rich” or “reduce taxes imposed on key business sectors such as manufacturing and financial services?”
Do you impose “a cap to limit annual increases in state spending” or do you guarantee “healthcare for all?”
It seems unusual for a WFP candidate to have fundraisers sponsored by the Business Council. The question for the Council might be, why?
The Working Families Party endorsed Rivera after the January fundraiser sponsored by the Business Council, so they must be okay with a candidate working with the Business Council PAC to raise funds.
Does the Business Council just look the other way when someone they assist with fundraising has the endorsement of the Working Families Party?
We can assume the WFP means it when they say they want to “tax the rich.” What do they expect their candidates to do when such issues hit the floor of the Assembly or the Senate?
I wonder what a candidate thinks.
Bluesky @kenkruly
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