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Political Hay

A Contract With New York

New York’s hapless Republicans could learn a thing or two from the Gingrich era.

(Page 2 of 2)

6. Eliminate pay perks for City Council members: Members of the City Council currently receive stipends, or “lulus,” when they are assigned committee chairmanships. These are typically in amounts between $10,000 and $20,000. We will accept no such perks at the taxpayers’ expense, and we will vote to eliminate them.

7. Eliminate campaigning on the taxpayers’ dime: Currently, candidates for City Council can accept tax dollars to finance their campaigns. We will not make the taxpayers pay for our runs for office, and we will vote to eliminate the public campaign funding system.

8. Increase school choice: Lack of choice is what allows New York City’s public school system to stagnate. We will vote to give parents more options as to where to send their children to school.

9. Remove barriers to housing: Restrictive zoning regulations and building codes, as well as rent regulations that discourage development, are the primary impediment to affordable housing. We will vote to repeal these regulations.

10. Leave abortion alone: We will propose no legislation on this topic.

The late speaker of the House of Representatives, Tip O’Neill, said that “All politics is local.” But the Republicans won the House by nationalizing local congressional elections. If New York City’s Republicans want a City Council delegation that would need at least a minivan to carpool, they’d better take a look in their rearview mirror.

Page:   12

topics:
Taxes, Foreign Policy, Business, Abortion

About the Author

Ryan H. Sager is editorial features editor of the New York Sun, where his column appears Mondays. Email: rhsager@nysun.com

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