In an editorial, North Bergen resident Eric Dixon makes the case that the actions of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will threaten Hudson County.
The emotions stoked by Zohran Mamdani, the admitted democratic socialist and incoming New York City mayor, threaten the status quo and livelihoods of people beyond the big city.
Hudson County: This means us!
Forget the proposed tax increases of a few percent, which are significant burdens but not terribly out of line with prior mayors the last 12 years.
The problem is a value system which exploits, denigrates and ridicules hard work and thrift, while rewarding moral hazards of the legendary deadly sins of envy and greed, burden-shifting from the unaccountable to the responsible.
This is reflected in our politics, at all levels, but that in turn reflects the other institutions in our communities. In short, our neighbors.
It is said that character is measured by what one does when no one’s looking.
Judging from both sides of the Hudson, many people think there is nothing wrong with benefitting, not from their own efforts (that will be their “narrative” anyway), but gaining at their neighbors’ expense.
This is not the road to a successful, cohesive civic culture, but rather a zero-sum culture of “survival of the fittest” where my gain requires your loss. This is a recipe for continued, generational decline.
I do not argue for or against any particular candidate. In many cases, all candidates are guilty of this emotional exploitation.
Like it or not, were Zohran Mamdani a candidate for countywide office in Hudson County, he would be a formidable candidate, if not the favorite.
Appeals to baser instincts are often successful. Caracas on the Hudson isn’t across the river. It’s here, already, and we may have to learn some lessons the hard way.