Invest in Communities, Not Corporations
All New Yorkers should be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. But right now prosperity and wealth in New York state belongs only to a tiny few. New York is the most unequal state in the country. The top 1 percent of New Yorkers earn 45 times more than the bottom 99 percent. To understand why, you have to look no farther than Governor Cuomo’s economic development strategy.
The Governor has taken a Republican-like approach to economic development: cutting taxes for the rich and gutting public goods and services for everyone else. As we saw with the Trump-Ryan tax cuts early this year, this approach is a recipe for disaster. In New York, our infrastructure is now crumbling, our fastest growing industries do not pay a living wage, and communities of color and minority-owned businesses are being left behind.
The Governor’s misguided economic development philosophy is made worse by his administration’s rampant corruption. Cuomo has doled out millions and even billions of dollars to his corporate donors with very little strings attached or expectations set around real, well-paying jobs to be produced.
As Governor, Cynthia will take a very different approach. First, she will hold Wall Street and big corporations accountable, and strengthen protections for workers and consumers. Next, she will make a targeted investment in communities of color and minority-owned businesses, which have been left behind by Governor Cuomo’s policies. Cynthia will also make a robust investment in our state’s infrastructure, creating thousands of jobs and strengthening communities across our state. Finally, Cynthia will ensure that our state’s fastest growing industry — service jobs and home health aides — provide family sustaining wages.
These economic development strategies are all accompanied by Cynthia’s commitment to greatly expanding educational opportunities from birth through college, which will create the high quality workforce that is essential to economic growth and development in New York State.
Cumulatively, Cynthia’s approach to workforce training and economic development will help grow New York’s economy, while combating the runaway income inequality that has been aided and abetted by the corrupt Cuomo Administration.