New York City found out this week that stupid is as stupid does. Yep, it’s still true you are what you do. Justice has just been served, courtesy of New York’s leftist radicals, socialists and union leaders— the people who are always screaming about social justice but who apparently don’t “♥ The Big Apple” at all when the chips are down.

Here’s what happened: Last year, Amazon had selected the city for an expansion of its headquarters, and 25,000 new well-paying jobs were anticipated to come to the city as part of the deal. In return, Amazon wanted $3 billion in tax incentives—not cash payments, no actual money out the door—as part of the deal. This was a bargain for New York City, as financial experts concluded that the city would receive about $27 billion over the next ten years in new tax receipts. Amazon would also spend $2.5 billion to build its HQ campus, and would provide computer-science courses to all the area high schools. The deal was accepted by New York’s Democrat leaders, and Amazon began preparations to establish its new HQ.

Then, the radicals and economic ignoramuses leaped in, loudly contested the deal, dug out their bullhorns and put their shrill illiteracy on display by claiming the city was being taken advantage of by an evil, greedy corporation that “exploited” its workers by being anti-union.

Amazon, seeing the ugly but typical hostile underbelly of how deals are done in one-Party NYC, concluded they would be facing many future years of gang-mauling by nasty people who somehow thought it was a distinct honor for any company to “do business” in their city’s toxic environment, containing mobs that were not willing to compromise. So, Amazon pulled out of Flaky City by taking their ball and going home. In spite of several polls showing “overwhelming” public support for Amazon, illiterate radicals and union leaders thwarted the will of average citizens.

The New York malcontents believe that because companies like Amazon are wealthy, they are obligated to ignore their own business interests, especially the interests of their shareholders, to whom company executives owe a fiduciary duty. Apparently, these dissident groaners, sipping their iced mocha latte espressos at Starbucks, believe companies should act like charities. They believe that if businesses are wealthy, they have an obligation to spend their money in stupid ways and should not negotiate for your own benefit.

Well, those hostile radicals need to have a dose of reality shoved up their bling-pierced noses, so they begin to understand the way the real world works. You don’t kill the Golden Goose that plans to move into a community that needs economic development and job opportunities. But the extremists believe their city is entitled to be handed 25,000 new jobs from Amazon, which has put its shareholders’ capital at stake and at risk, yet the city should make no sacrifices, offer no incentives. Why would these nitwits think that Amazon should come to New York, give the city and its residents a huge economic favor, and get thanked by resistance? And get blamed by the likes of socialist mayor de Blasio because they had the good sense to refuse to deal with ungrateful, stupid people? Amazon did not throw away an opportunity, rather, after dozens of meetings, it saw what was in store for them and escaped from high taxes, smothering regulations, and a tyrannical business climate.

Now the question is whether the moderate Democrats in New York are going to hold their progressive wackos accountable for driving away a huge windfall of new jobs and attractive incomes. We’ll see, but don’t hold your breath.

Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of BizPac Review.

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John R. Smith

John R. Smith is chairman of BIZPAC, the Business Political Action Committee of Palm Beach County, and owner of a financial services company. He is a frequent columnist for BizPac Review.

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