The video displayed in the tweet is a Tik Tok of two adult women teaching what appears to be a female toddler to twerk while onlookers recorded and encouraged the behavior in the middle of New York City.

The video has what sounds like a robotic voice overlaying the footage, which says, “We all need this confidence in life.”

There are no circumstances in which this behavior would ever be acceptable, and it sickens me that I even have to write about this topic. However, I feel a moral obligation to expose the sexualization and exploitation of children. I have a zero-tolerance policy for anyone who would exploit some of the most vulnerable people in society. Anyone who thinks that teaching a child to dance in a sexual manner is acceptable behavior is a depraved person who should be locked away where they can’t hurt anyone.

Standing against child exploitation shouldn’t be an unpopular opinion, and it should be universally accepted that it is neither morally nor culturally accepted to exploit kids sexually. I am all for personal liberty and each individual living in whatever way they see fit, but that doesn’t include taking advantage of a toddler and calling it “sexual freedom” or “cultural pluralism.”

I am not the only person outraged by this dumpster fire some try to pass off as dancing. Many Twitter users were quick to express their disgust with the video.

Freedom means living how you choose as long as it is not at the expense of another individual’s right to do the same. We cannot expect to remain a free society if we do not remain a virtuous people. I do not believe that a person necessarily has to be a Christian to live a moral life; however, I do feel that having faith certainly helps to cement someone’s moral compass.

Daniel Webster, an early American Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, and author of the famed Webster’s Dictionary, articulated the importance Christianity plays in establishing the bedrock of a civil society when he said,” The Christian religion – its general principles – must ever be regarded among us as the foundation of civil society.” He further established this idea when he said, “Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens.”
It is not a theocracy I advocate for, but instead a rebirth of the basic principles of Christianity, which allowed  the moral conditions which birthed our nation. In this sort of environment, the sexualization of children would be unthinkable. In fact, it is because our nation has forgotten what true love is that this sort of behavior is tolerated.

True love doesn’t take advantage of children who do not understand what they are doing. A proper understanding of love would motivate us to call out evil for what is and to protect those who can’t defend themselves. However, this behavior doesn’t surprise me when we live in an age where films like “Cuties” are celebrated.

Some who read this article may criticize me as a religious zealot, but one doesn’t have to have faith to think that teaching children to dance provocatively degrades the moral condition of America. Behavior such as this has no place in any civilized nation in our modern world and should be condemned. I hope that these women who took advantage of this girl would be identified and locked away so that they can no longer exploit children and that we would return to a place where actions such as these wouldn’t even make the news cycle.

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I don’t quite share his pessimism, especially considering all of the variables likely to affect a NYC comeback—the widespread availability of a vaccine, government policy, “pandemic fatigue,” technological innovations, etc. But I am confident in saying that if the city resists tearing down the barriers to innovation—high taxes, burdensome regulations and gratuitous mandates—recovery will be all the more difficult.

I say this as someone who lives in Upstate New York and doesn’t have an insider’s perspective about NYC, but I do understand the power of free enterprise to make life better.

Unfortunately, NYC’s policy climate has not been very friendly to innovation. According to a Reason Foundation report, NYC ranks 49 out of 52 on the U.S. economic freedom index for metropolitan statistical areas. This is relevant because research indicates that economic freedom can positively impact outcomes like income, employment and population growth.

People, when free from government coercion, have an innate ability to serve others in the pursuit of their own interests. It’s this process—one that allows for innovation and production—that creates wealth for everyone. In order to carry out this process easily, companies often use open innovation platforms such as ideXlab. These platforms enable you to determine the sectors that require your expertise and solutions so that you can provide unforgettable experiences.

What then are the policy implications to be drawn from this fact? As a start, NYC needs to reduce its bloated budget and high tax burden on people at all income levels. This will put more money back in the private sector, where resources are allocated based on consumer demand and entrepreneurial foresight rather than political preferences.

Another important step would be to loosen zoning restrictions. As Altucher points out in his piece, many businesses have switched to working from home, emptying floors of office buildings in the process. This could be a permanent move given the ease of tele-commuting. One way to combat this new problem of ghost buildings is to allow for rezoning, paving the way for vacant office space to become new housing—as suggested by Eric Kober of the Manhattan Institute.

Officials should also consider eliminating minimum wage and paid sick leave mandates for businesses looking to hire. Some have estimated that the pandemic and shutdowns have led to the closure of approximately 3,000 NYC businesses. For those businesses lucky enough to remain open, adding to their pain and the pain of people looking for work with costly mandates is unconscionable.

Innovation in education is also a critical component of a NYC comeback. Families with students in the district should be allowed to take their education dollars and use it for the school of their choice. NYC’s school reopening plan, which includes having students in class part-time, is not a viable option for many parents who don’t have the resources to watch or educate their children at home during the school year. Expanding school choice allows parents to find the school that’s best for their child while giving them the flexibility they need to work outside of the home if tele-commuting or hiring a childcare provider isn’t an option.

This next solution seems obvious but may be the most controversial. Officials must allow NYC to fully reopen. I understand concerns about a potential second wave hitting the city, but the unintended consequences of a prolonged economic shutdown could be worse. The decision about attending a Broadway play or eating inside a restaurant—and the risk involved—should be shifted to each individual, not decided by the government.

Risk tolerance varies by person, and so I imagine some people will visit NYC again if they’re confident it won’t be closed for business by the time they arrive. Others may stay away until a vaccine is available. That’s how the freedom of choice works. And it’s preferable to the one-size-fits-all paternalism imposed on us over the last several months.

Top down dictates from government squash innovation. They hinder entrepreneurs from meeting consumer needs. And they prevent people from adapting to their environment. If NYC is going to make a comeback, people need to be free to take risks again.

It’s time for the city that never sleeps to awake from its temporary slumber.

The post Give NYC a Chance to Survive appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

To add insult to injury, the head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, Ed Mullins, claims that Majors was buying marijuana in the park and that is what put her in this dangerous scenario. He explains how he believes that recent limits on enforcement of marijuana laws in New York City contributed to this deadly situation.

What I am understanding is that [Majors] was in the park to buy marijuana….We don’t enforce marijuana laws anymore. We’re basically hands-off on the enforcement of marijuana. I understand the mayor made statements that this is surprising on how this can happen in New York City….I really have to question what world he’s living in to think that this is surprising, when we are watching the city slowly erode, with shootings, stabbings, an increase in homicides and, most importantly, a hands-off policing policy.

Majors’ family is taking offense to Mullins’ comments because, “…they intentionally or unintentionally direct blame onto Tess, a young woman, for her own murder.”

Nick Gillespie at Reason sees Mullins’ words as yet another reference to the old “reefer madness” hysteria, “…in which devil weed is the source of all forms of evil and criminality, even when it remains illegal.”

I can’t define what Mullins meant in his comments. I don’t read hearts and minds and, honestly, I don’t want to. But I did listen to the entirety of his radio interview. It doesn’t strike me as blatant victim-blaming. In actuality, he is taking way more swipes at NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio.

Furthermore, his comments are not textbook “refer madness” stuff because he never once says that these young teens went on a murderous rampage because they took a few too many hits of the devil’s lettuce. In context, Mullins blames the violence on the city (including Majors’ murder) – on somewhat of a lawless society that allows offenders to spin down a more violent hole.

There are many things that Mullins said in the interview that are questionable. Maybe he does hold to disproved parts of “reefer madness” and blames victims for being victims of violent crime, but I didn’t get that from this one radio appearance. He could be giving listeners a probable reason that an eighteen-year-old would be alone in a questionably safe park at night. But don’t take my word for it, listen to it here.

The problem is that NYC law enforcement might have given up on enforcing laws against marijuana consumption and trade, but it is still not legal to be bought and sold. (There is some liberalization on patients using it for medicinal purposes, but its effects are minimal).

In the same way alcohol prohibition enriched criminals, the marijuana black-market just proliferates and seedy characters take advantage of the fast cash they can make while providing consumers with a product that they demand.

The post NYC College Student Stabbing: Reefer Madness Murder? appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

Shelby Talcott 

Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s wife announced Tuesday morning that she is supporting a program that aims to help LGBT youth because she understands the struggles as a former lesbian.

Chirlane McCray, de Blasio’s wife, said that she “identified as a lesbian” when she came to New York in 1977.

“When I came to New York City, long ago back in 1977, I identified as a lesbian, so I know intimately the struggles that young people have had,” McCray said on NY1 according to the New York Post. “I was not rejected by my family like so many of these young people are, but it’s really difficult.”

The new program pairs with the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development and the public-private NYC Center for Youth Employment partnership. It works toward helping 16- to 25-year-old “runaway and homeless youth who are often LGBTQI” by giving them paid internships, job training and mental health support, the Post reported.

McCray authored a piece titled “I am a lesbian” in 1979 for Essence magazine where she wrote about her experience as a black lesbian.

De Blasio married McCray in 1994. She said in 2013 she was able to marry him “by putting aside the assumptions I had about the form and package my love would come in.”

Although McCray is married to de Blasio, she does not put labels on her sexual identity according to a 2016 Broadly interview with the mayor’s wife.

“I believe there is a fluidity that we are only just now growing to be more accepting of and aware of because people do like to put people in boxes. … I am just living my life,” she said in 2016.

This article is republished with permission from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Image: Bill De Blasio

The post De Blasio’s Wife Reminds LGBT Youth That She Used To Be A Lesbian appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

Chris White

An anti-vaccination group with connections to one of the largest and most influential environmentalists in the U.S. is suing New York City for mandating that select citizens receive vaccinations to prevent a measles outbreak.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Children’s Health Defense filed a lawsuit Monday against the city’s Department of Health and Human Hygiene for pushing the mandate. Kennedy Jr., a noted environmental activist and attorney, is calling for a temporary restraining order, labeling the mandate “capricious, contrary to law” and exceeding “lawful authority.”

“Rather than using available legal mechanisms such as isolation or quarantine under Public Health Law §2100,” the lawsuit reads, “respondents have imposed not only severe criminal and civil penalties for not vaccinating but have stated that persons not vaccinated ‘shall be vaccinated against measles,’ thus introducing the specter of unjustifiable forced vaccination to Williamsburg and the City of New York.”

New York City declared a public health emergency April 9, an order that mandates measles-mumps-rubella shots for people who live in Williamsburg as the number of measles cases jumped to 285 since September 2018, according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. People who do not comply with the order will face a fine of up to $1,000 and questioning by health inspectors.

“Our goal is not to fine people or shut down schools,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters shortly after the order was issued. “Our goal is to vaccinate people. We have the tools available now because of this emergency order to fine — and fine very substantially. But if people just go and get vaccinated, there is no need for a fine.”

He added: “If people ignore our order, we will issue fines.”

The Children’s Health Defense’s website suggests there is a high level of mercury in vaccinations that elevates the risk of autism.

“The measles scare was classic disaster capitalism, with media outlets dutifully stoking public hysteria on editorial pages and throughout the 24-hour broadcast cycle,” the website notes.

Health experts dismiss these claims as pure bunk.

“The myth that measles vaccines are associated with autism has been thoroughly debunked by scientific research,” Alan Kadish, a physician and president of the Touro College & University System, told reporters Tuesday.

“Measles is far more dangerous than many parents understand and has the potential to be fatal,” he said.

Other health professionals said activists like Kennedy Jr. are receiving way too much attention on social media. Pediatrician Peter Hotez, for instance, worries Amazon is upgrading books by skeptics like Paul Thomas and Robert Mendelsohn and downplaying physicians who promote vaccinations.

“We are seeing children die from influenza. They are now the single largest promoters of anti-vaccination books,” Hotez old The Daily Caller News Foundation in March.

“Amazon needs to step up and stop promoting the anti-vaxxer agenda,” Hotez said. “The only way to restore this is to start dismantling this empire is to do something about Facebook and Amazon.”

More than 550 cases of measles have been reported in the U.S. in 2019, with Oregon reporting a record number of measles outbreaks.

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The account mocked Ocasio-Cortez for the implosion of a deal with Amazon to build a new headquarters in New York City that would’ve brought approximately 25,000 new jobs to the city. Ocasio-Cortez criticized the deal for the billions in tax breaks the company was seeking, but was ridiculed by many people for implying that the money existed apart from the agreement and could be used elsewhere.

It was expected that the deal would have gained New York City $30 billion in tax revenue in exchange for $3 billion in tax cuts.

The anonymous troll account made up the pizza coupon analogy to mock Ocasio-Cortez, receiving over 11,000 retweets.

AOC clearly had a problem with the joke being made at her expense, so she fired back in a tweet, attempting to re-write the joke to her benefit.

Whether or not Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s all caps response is an appropriate representation of the tax break negotiations between Amazon,and the city of New York is left up to the reader to decide.

Twitter showed no mercy to AOC’s attempted clapback.

The post You mad bro? AOC Can’t Take a Joke Over NYC Canceling Amazon Deal appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

The decision was made after the company faced unexpected fierce backlash from lawmakers and union leaders who argued that the tech giant didn’t deserve the nearly $3 billion in government subsidies. 

The company did an extensive search for a new headquarters and decided on Long Island City, Queens, as one of two winning locations, saying that the decision would create more than 25,000 jobs in the city.

However, the agreement sparked a debate about the use of government subsidies to entice wealthy companies to build in the city.

“A number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward,’’ Amazon said in a statement.

Mayor of New York City, Bill De Blasio, and Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, put aside their differences in an attempt to draw Amazon to the city. When Amazon decided against proceeding with their plans, De Blasio tweeted his disappointment saying, “You have to be tough to make it in New York City. We gave Amazon the opportunity to be a good neighbor and do business in the greatest city in the world. Instead of working with the community, Amazon threw away that opportunity.”

He continued, “ We have the best talent in the world and every day we are growing a stronger and fairer economy for everyone. If Amazon can’t recognize what that’s worth, its competitors will.”

Democratic Representative and professed socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised Amazon’s decision not to come to New York City tweeting, “Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world.”

Amazon’s leadership agreed to pull out of New York on Wednesday evening, according to two people familiar with the decision. The company did not inform the governor or the mayor until Thursday morning, shortly before posting its announcement.

Governor Cuomo’s reaction to the decision of Amazon not to do business in New York City was quite different. He released a statement saying,”A small group of politicians put their own narrow political interests above their community — which poll after poll showed overwhelmingly supported bringing Amazon to Long Island City — the state’s economic future and the best interests of the people of this state.”

Hear more in the latest Freedom Report podcast:

The post Amazon Reverses Course, Pulls Out of NYC appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

Tim Pearce on February 8, 2019 

Amazon is reportedly rethinking its promise to build a headquarters in New York City after receiving pushback from local officials and residents, sources told The Washington Post.

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, both Democrats, are pushing for the Amazon deal after being instrumental in securing it. Many locals, however, have protested at stores and hearings, and the city’s council has badgered Amazon executives about the company’s position on unions.

“The question is whether it’s worth it if the politicians in New York don’t want the project, especially with how people in Virginia and Nashville have been so welcoming,” one person familiar with the company’s plans told WaPo.

Amazon is moving forward with plans to construct another headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, near the nation’s capital. Each project in New York and Virginia is expected to create 25,000 jobs. A smaller project in Nashville, Tennessee, is expected to create 5,000 new jobs.

The company is considering other options for the New York location, including relocating thousands of jobs to other areas and withdrawing altogether. Amazon has not yet leased or bought any space in the area, so changing plans now would be relatively easy.

“I think now is the time for Amazon to make a decision because it has to start hiring,” a source told WaPo. “At some point, the project starts to fall behind.”

Though the NYC mayor has advocated for the project since its inception, de Blasio may be feeling the heat from his constituents. De Blasio told reporters that Amazon’s position on unions – the company will likely fight any attempt to unionize its NYC campus – is from “a different time,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

“Now that people are more and more concerned about decent wages and benefits, I think Amazon’s gonna have to reconsider that,” de Blasio said at a press conference unrelated to the Amazon project.

Amazon is attempting to build inroads with New Yorkers angry over the scope of the project and the negative effects it is likely to have on many people living around the new headquarters. Congestion, rising rent prices and changing demographics are points of contention.

“We’re focused on engaging with our new neighbors — small business owners, educators, and community leaders. Whether it’s building a pipeline of local jobs through workforce training or funding computer science classes for thousands of New York City students, we are working hard to demonstrate what kind of neighbor we will be,” Amazon spokeswoman Jodi Seth told WaPo.

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Steve Birr

A New York City judge presiding over the accused “Brooklyn Ripper’s” murder trial is facing criticism after being spotted sneaking hits from a vaping device on the bench.

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Vincent Del Giudice’s nicotine habit is apparently common knowledge in local legal circles. He is known to casually take pulls from his e-cigarette throughout trials, subtly holding the device in a closed fist while having hand to chin. A blue light shining out from the bottom of his hand, however, gave him away in court this week, according to the New York Post.

When a New York Post journo confronted Del Giudice after Wednesday’s court proceedings, the justice put the devices in his pocket and said, “no comment.”

“Everybody knows about it, but nobody says anything,” an unnamed court worker told the New York Post.

Del Giudice is currently presiding over the trial of Daniel St. Hubert, the Brooklyn Ripper, who is accused of murdering six-year-old Prince Joshua Avitto and injuring seven-year-old Mikayla Capers in a 2014 knife attack. The judge’s vape use is a direct violation of the city’s current laws regarding vapor products.

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg amended New York City’s Smoke Free Air Act to include vaping in 2014, banning use of the products in public places. (RELATED: NYC May Make Smoking Cigarettes While Walking Illegal)

“I wouldn’t ever think it’s appropriate to even do that in a public building, much less on the bench,” an unidentified attorney familiar with Del Giudice told the New York Post.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law Oct. 23 amending New York state’s Clean Indoor Air Act to include e-cigarettes. Violators of state law are subject to fines up to $2,000.

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