CUOMO BROKE SUBWAYS

I sometimes find it hard to comprehend why politicians who are clearly awful cannot be challenged even if they get tons of money from their wealthy backers. Case in point: Governor Andrew Cuomo.

In this opinion piece from TheWeek.com, that I discovered from Reality Based Educator's Twitter account, Ryan Cooper clearly makes the case that Governor Cuomo is responsible for the wretched shape of the New York City subway system.

Here are the opening paragraphs of Ryan's article:
The New York City subway system, by far the largest and best public transit system in the United States, has reached a crisis level of dysfunction over the past few months, with serious congestion, delays, and a recent derailment in Harlem that injured 34 passengers. In a delayed response, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) declared a "state of emergency" on Thursday and ordered the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to produce a reorganization plan to fix the problem.

Don't fall for his shtick.

Cuomo has been directly responsible for the subway for over six years. It has been obvious since he took power that something like this would happen and he's done nothing but make it worse. The crisis is a clear result of his incompetence, his abysmal politics, and his odious personality.

Cooper cites overcrowding (subway ridership has doubled since 1990), aging technology and overpriced infrastructure as the three main causes of the system's decline. All should have been seen by the governor who basically controls the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Cooper continues:
A quality leader would have seen the problem approaching (or listened to the experts who have been shouting about it for years), and proposed a crash program to upgrade, modernize, and expand the subway. Tackling the maintenance backlog would reduce delays and forestall expensive repairs from failures. Upgraded technology would reduce train headways, which together with more trains and stations would allow for enhanced throughput — now a critical necessity in downtown especially. And tackling the cost problem would enable everything else, as dollars could be stretched much, much further.

Cooper's conclusion is a commercial for anyone running against Cuomo:
The man just does not have a clue.

That's just the kind of politician Cuomo is — an ultra-cynical lying snake who does things like help Republicans keep control of the state Senate, or lie about why Port Authority tolls are being raised, or get in a pissing match with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio out of pure spite.

Throw in anti-public school, anti-teacher, anti-worker and you kind of  know everything you need to know about Andrew Cuomo. Will he get a primary challenge from the left in 2018 as he runs for a third term?