Being in office for just over a week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has shown that he is not like his predecessor, Bill de Blasio. The former mayor was arrogant and hostile to certain groups, including law enforcement and the Jewish community.
Nonetheless, Adams is off to a bad start.
For one, he has continued de Blasio’s repressive coronavirus vaccine mandates, including for the private sector. This is wrong. It should be left to individual private businesses as to whether they mandate a customer’s proof of vaccination in order to access service. Businesses, not the government, preach “no shirts, no shoes, no service.” Vaccination status should be no different.
Adams has also been considering whether to mandate vaccination for school children. K-12 students remain at a low risk of serious complications from COVID-19. Therefore, vaccination choices for children should be left to parents who know better their needs and vulnerabilities than bureaucrats. It is a rather unpleasant prospect to think that the state might soon hold dominion over the personal choices of families, especially with regard to children.
Finally, Adams has allowed for a New York City law that lets noncitizens vote. This is undemocratic and morally wrong. It allows for those who aren’t U.S. citizens to decide the fate of those who hold U.S. citizenship.
With his tough-on-crime strategy and consideration for blue-collar workers and others, Adams has been, to an extent, a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, Adams has been unwilling to depart from some far-left approaches taken under his liberal predecessor. A course correction is needed. Otherwise, Adams’s great potential may slowly but surely perish at the misguided altar of far-left ideology.
Jackson Richman is a journalist in Washington, D.C. Follow him @jacksonrichman.
