MTA fare hikes are coming

jecture, it is truth.

One would think it would be widely inappropriate for the President of the United States to push political propaganda while celebrating a young boy unjustly killed because of his race. You would be right to think that, but you would be wrong to think that someone on the left would think that to be right. Biden made it clear and unequivocal that he cares little about Till and more about pleasing his mindless base when he said, “At a time when there are those who seek to ban books, bury history, we’re making it clear — crystal, crystal clear: While darkness and denialism can hide much, they erase nothing.”

It would be easier to call this quote asinine if it weren’t equally as infuriating. Biden, at this momentous event that should have unified our nation chose instead to insert manufactured left-wing talking points during his speech about the monument,. And Biden wasn’t alone, Vice President Kamala Harris did the same, in some strange coordinated attack on Republicans: “Today, there are those in our nation who would prefer to erase or even rewrite the ugly parts of our past; those who attempt to teach that enslaved people benefited from slavery; those who insult us in an attempt to gaslight us.”

Why, in just about every article about this monument, is Ron DeSantis’ “slavery benefits” story mentioned? Is it just some big coincidence that DeSantis is on everyone’s mind, or is there something more sinister going on behind the scenes, something more coordinated?

Conservatives do not want to rewrite history and they don’t want to ban books. Conservatives do not want to do any of the dastardly things that left proclaims they want to do. We’ve seen time and time again that the left projects its own policy on Republicans in this manner. After all, the right isn’t tear- ing down statues of historical figures, renaming holidays, assaulting people for their political beliefs, suing business owners for their religious beliefs, destroying people’s careers because they have the wrong views, slandering the dead because they had the wrong views when they were alive, prosecuting people and politicians who have different views from prosecutors, rewriting science textbooks to conflate sociology with science, or altering or outright refusing to air television shows that contain unpopular facts or narratives.

Emmett Till’s legacy, unyielding and profound, is firmly engraved in the annals of history, and we must resist any attempt by the left to distort or reinterpret it. It is indeed a distressing reality that the left has successfully imbued a generation of young minds with misleading and perilous ideologies. If we allow this trend to continue unchecked, in half a century, Emmett Till’s authentic legacy could be on the brink of being lost forever. The true essence of his life and death may become entwined with the left’s propaganda and politically charged narratives, obfuscating the real significance of his story. His tragic demise, which served as the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement—a monumental stride towards affirming racial equality in America— may be repackaged as something it was never intended to be. Instead his death may become something entirely backwards, a false reality that says that even those who stood hand in hand with civil rights protesters were themselves guilty of the crime of racism because they were white.

Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is manager / sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the year. www.armstrongwilliams.co | www.howardstirkholdings.com move freely throughout the city without worrying about how many times per day I used public transport. I use public transport less these days, but will occasionally buy a monthly pass for the convenience of it all. However, I understand many New Yorkers do not have that financial luxury and ultimately end up spending more because they pay for each ride and do not get the benefit of a monthly discount, largely because they cannot afford the large upfront cost of a monthly pass.

It’s time to prepare for new fare hikes coming to New York City. For those of us who take the subway, buses, ferries, or even drive, we need to prepare ourselves to pay a bit more in the upcoming weeks. Due to budget gaps with the MTA, the subway will soon cost $2.90 per fare. The MTA has not increased prices in roughly eight years and their rationale in the new price hike is to deal with a budget gap of almost $3 billion by 2025.

I’m of two minds about the fare hikes. On the one hand, public transportation is a modern marvel. Where else can you get from the Bronx to Brooklyn in an hour for under $3? I can travel all over the city for mere dollars and depending on the time of day. The subway is often faster than sitting in a taxi, too. I often tell tourists to take a bus so they can see the city above ground. The bus lines that run on the east side can literally drop you off along Museum Mile with ease and convenience.

Sometimes when I need to clear my mind I take the Staten Island ferry and pass by the Statue of Liberty.

I often think of people who have families and must pay for several people to ride the subway. Because of the new fare hikes, many people will actually feel these fare hikes over time. It may seem like a few cents to some, but so many New Yorkers are literally counting pennies each day to make ends meet.

We are told the fare hikes are for infrastructure enhancements, not operating expenses. However, the price of the subway is increasing at a time when many feel the quality of service is decreasing. I don’t know what the solution in Albany should be, but as we raise fares (we know the subway will be $3 before we know it), we must remember families who need every penny that comes in. Hopefully organizations like Riders Alliance will continue to advocate for working class New Yorkers to help keep fares fair for all New Yorkers.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an Associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC and host of The Blackest Questions podcast at TheGrio.