Feb
24
Blog Post #4 – Jia Jun (Jay) Wu
February 24, 2015 | Leave a Comment
Nicole Gelina’s article “What the Rich Give to New York,” featured in the City-Journal, offers a perspective that many reports seem to omit. With personal narratives and abundant data, Gelina describes how New York’s positive growth may have been the doing of the rich. She acknowledges the income inequality, but explains how the contributions of the rich brought New York safe and educational public assets for both the rich and the poor. I can’t argue with private charities. I love to see investments in common resources like public transit, libraries, museums, parks, and security. One thing I didn’t quite understand was how De Blasio’s initiatives would counteract the rich giving back to the city. Gelina mentions a new contract with the teacher’s union increasing the budget deficit and a federal agreement hampering security. I would like to learn more about the background and the incentive for those actions.
The graphs shown in the New Yorker report was an interesting take on income inequality in New York. Using the subway routes really highlighted the income disparity. Looking through many of the transit lines, it’s evident that lower Manhattan has the greatest median income, whereas outer boroughs like Brooklyn and the Bronx had much lower median incomes. Questions that arise are why is the income concentrated in lower Manhattan and what kind of area are these locations (residential, commercial).
The CNN graphs were quite sparse, but still tell the gist of the story at hand. Concerning the graph showing how the median income has remained stagnant for the bottom 20%, it doesn’t make sense to me why we are not including the working class into the discussion. Perhaps, it’s just politics’ doing, but it doesn’t seem like $14,168 brings someone into the middle class. So why isn’t there improvement for the working class? I’ve always wondered about raising minimum wage. I’ve heard too many opposing sides. Is it the layoffs and/or the adjustment of the market that make this ineffective?
Something I also haven’t heard much about so far is the growing concern of gentrification. In areas like Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant, high prices are pushing poorer people out. I recall some time ago Spike Lee had a heated rant describing conditions in certain parts of Brooklyn experiencing gentrification. Homes that were passed down for generations were bought, replacing a long culture with (something along the lines of) cleanliness and safety. I’m interested in exploring the topic of gentrification further. I’d like to see how much the effect had spread in New York throughout the years.
Finally, something that stood out to me was the mention the education may be the economic mobilizer. I truly believe this would (somewhat) level the playing field, but would like more data and information. It was also mentioned that the methodology to achieve this is not a consensus. I wonder if an even higher tax on the rich is an appropriate way to fund education. What are other methods or alternatives? What is the current and foreseen state of the budget?
