Yesterday, New York City's controversial 'congestion pricing' program went into effect and, in a nutshell, it encapsulates everything wrong with today's Democrat Party and the leftists who support them.
You can read more about the punitive pricing here but basically, it charges exorbitant fees for commuters to enter Manhattan in their vehicles from areas surrounding the city. One of the intents of the law is to push more people to public transportation. Unfortunately, in New York, you ride the subway at a risk to your life (despite Governor Kathy Hochul claiming the subway is 'safe').
Supporters also say that the pricing will raise needed revenue for city safety programs, but we all know how money gets spent by the government, especially a Democrat-led government. In typical leftist fashion, they have followed the playbook of creating a problem, and then offering the government as the only solution to that problem.
Well, at least one New York elected official sees through this pricing designed to force social change and has come up with a ... well, let's just say a 'creative' way for New Yorkers to exercise some civil disobedience.
Important warning: A high-powered green laser pointer like the ones you find on Ebay for under $30 can destroy a camera sensor. So if you buy one of these lasers, be sure to NOT point them at any cameras, because they could be permanently damaged!
— Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (@VickieforNYC) January 6, 2025
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Vickie Paladino is a Republican council member representing parts of Queens. In other words, her constituents are the exact people who the congestion pricing is harming.
While we cannot officially support disabling traffic cameras with a green laser pointer, we would not be surprised at all if sales of these gadgets started skyrocketing on eBay or Amazon.
Of course, the leftists who are not impacted at all by this usurous pricing were clutching their pearls that -- gasp! -- a sitting politician would encourage such Wild West lawlessness.
Probably not a good thing for elected officials to encourage criminal behavior.
— FLERP! (@FLERP8) January 6, 2025
Didn't you read her tweet? She was encouraging New Yorkers NOT to do this.
(Sorry, we had to throw a little Monty Python in there.)
Remember: vigilantism is only good if you're murd3r1ng black homeless men on the subway or undermining the tax base https://t.co/fgJWSu0r4g pic.twitter.com/zaevW2o6db
— barstool failson recruiter (@joemiddlin) January 6, 2025
Do you mean the black, homeless man who was threatening the lives of everyone on the subway train? That one?
Also, Daniel Penny was found not guilty, so calling him a 'murderer' is defamation. That guy should probably lawyer up.
Is this really an NYC Councilwoman openly advocating for criminal destruction of government property? What happened to being in support of law and order? https://t.co/LxLHTSVNam
— Bo German (@BoRidgewood) January 6, 2025
Once again, we must remind everyone that Paladino was cautioning people NOT to destroy government property. Especially not with a little handheld device that you can buy pretty much anywhere. For almost no money.
Wink, wink.
Of course, leftists have no sense of humor, but most people understood the joke.
Oh wow New York democrats have finally discovered some crime they’re against: disabling tax cameras https://t.co/tDiHy4fGRv
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) January 6, 2025
Murder, sexual assault, burning a woman alive in a subway station ... Democrats are fine with all of those. But God forbid someone try to save some money instead of handing it over to a New York government that already takes WAY too much.
You are such a conscientious person!
— wonofaf (@FafOnow) January 6, 2025
Thanks for watching out with this excellent piece of advice.
See? That guy gets it.
LMAO
— Jon Conley (@Jonathan_Conley) January 6, 2025
Based! https://t.co/GBOzYMO4oh
Definitely do NOT do this in NYC to destroy the cameras monitoring congestion pricing.
— Not Arguing 🐭 (@NotArguing9) January 6, 2025
We definitely do NOT want U.S. Bladerunners like England has, wearing masks and sneaking around, destroying Big Government Camera Equipment. https://t.co/8zjjQUczN4
New York would not be the first city to engage in this kind of protest. In London, ever since the government enacted 'Ultra Low Emission Zones' that punish people for driving older cars with higher emissions, people have been destroying the cameras used to spot those violators.
Again, do NOT do that. [cough, cough]
I completely concur with @VickieforNYC and strongly condemn any criminal acts used as a form of protest against congestion pricing! https://t.co/N9RNMEomfT
— Sam E. Antar (@SamAntar) January 6, 2025
She's just trying to keep her constituents out of trouble, you know?
Thank you for this warning
— Penguin - behind enemy lines 🇺🇲🇺🇲 (@penguin74us) January 6, 2025
I’m going to go buy 2 just to make sure they don’t fall into anyone’s hands that might do such a thing
Buy a few more and hand them out to friends for safekeeping ... and never to be used in the manner Paladino described.
Safety firsthttps://t.co/PknrlUJlgy pic.twitter.com/kR7W8ooQgG
— The Chemist 2.0 (@jacek_kapu94021) January 6, 2025
Oops. Did we just include a site where one can buy these laser pointers?
We didn't mean to do that.
Remember to only use them for legitimate purposes, like entertaining the cat. Do NOT use them on congestion pricing cameras.
Future governor of NY. https://t.co/kFESKqyuJN
— J. Valentine (@JValentineDE) January 6, 2025
We don't think New York would ever be that lucky ... or smart.
Become ungovernable https://t.co/gn5WQnYDC8
— Anthony Cacciato 🗽🇺🇸🇮🇹 (@TonyCacciato) January 6, 2025
There aren't a whole lot of other options when a government stops serving its constituents and only serves itself.
In truth and all kidding aside, we are not encouraging disabling the traffic cameras with laser pointers (just like Vickie Paladino 'wasn't').
But if this started happening throughout New York as a citizen protest against their corrupt government, well, what can we say? These things are going to happen.
To paraphrase a famous line from the comedian Chris Rock, we can't condone it ... but we understand.
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