Crime Is OK, Large Drinks...Not So Much

I don't live in New York City...I did for a while. I grew up a Jersey girl and for the time being...here I am again. However, I do venture into the City often enough to make the latest crime statistics a bit unnerving.

Growing up almost in the shadow of Manhattan, the pull of the city was strong. So much to explore, and I did. Actually, my mother first nurtured my love of the city when she would take to to Broadway matinees and lunch at a nice restaurant. As I got older, the music scene lured me, and I found myself at clubs where I shouldn't have been...at times when I should have been home. But that's just a part of growing up.

In all those trips into the city, never did I feel unsafe. Maybe naive, I always trusted my gut...and it never let me down. If you were smart, you were safe.

So now the third term Mayor of NYC is getting a rude awakening, and no matter how he tries to spin the numbers...violent crime is up in the city. Everyone who goes into the city with any regularity has seen the change over the past several years. While the Mayor has been focusing on salt content, smoking in the parks, trans fats and putting outdoor seating where cars used to drive...he has lost sight of the big picture.

While I'm not a smoker, it seems to me Central Park is big enough where if someone is offended by the smoke...they can move a few feet away. His latest crusade has been about oversized drinks. Again, not a fan, but when the hell was he appointed god of all things being consumed. And apparently, because a store like 7-11 is in a different category than a diner, you can buy a big gulp but not a large soda at the diner next door.

The real problem right now is people are getting shot...a lot of people. It's bad for business, it's bad for your health. While the Mayor may talk a good game about the increase in shooting as a 4th of July carryover, the fact remains that compared to last year, there is a 28.3% rise in shootings for the holiday period. The Mayor gets a little testy when asked about the rise in crime. He is so much more comfortable talking about taking away our right to choose what to eat.

This has been a hot summer, we still have a lot of summer left. Going forward, this rise in crime cannot continue. It's time for Police Chief Kelly and Mayor Bloomberg to get the police back to where they are needed and stop policing things like our civil rights.

By the way, can you take care of this real soon...I plan to be in NYC tomorrow.
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