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Of course, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is not taking any credit herself for New York City losing new jobs.
U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) thinks New York City losing new jobs is a good thing. In fact, Time reports that Ocasio-Cortez is actively celebrating the city losing new jobs.
To explain, Ocasio-Cortez (or AOC as she is sometimes called) believes Amazon’s decision not to build a second headquarters in Queens is a victory for New Yorkers. Notwithstanding, New York’s Democratic mayor and New York State’s Democratic governor disagree.
The Amazon facility could have brought “at least 25,000-40,000 good paying jobs for our state and nearly $30 billion dollars in new revenue to fund transit improvements, new housing, schools and countless other quality-of-life improvements,” Governor Andrew M. Cuomo claims.
Democrats Criticize Ocasio-Cortez Because Of New York City Losing New Jobs
However, AOC is not solely responsible for Amazon’s decision to abandon plans for offices in Queens. Instead, The New York Times blames fierce opposition from politicians, union leaders, and others for Amazon’s decision.
Of course, Ocasio-Cortez is not taking any credit herself for the city losing jobs. “Today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers and their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitation and the power of the richest man in the world,” the congresswoman tweets.
“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,” an Amazon press release [1] states.
Is The City Losing New Jobs Because New Yorkers Hate Amazon?
Nevertheless, The New York Times names AOC as a leader of the anti-Amazon movement in the city. For instance, the paper claims that Ocasio-Cortez’s upset victory in a 2018 primary election was a result of pent-up anger at Amazon.
In particular, many voters were angry at the state and city government’s decision to give Amazon $3 billion in tax breaks. After all, Amazon [2] is presently the world’s biggest online retailer as it had $41.25 billion in the bank at the end of 2018.
Notably, New York Republicans are also paying for the attempt to bring Amazon to town. The New York Times even blames the Republicans’ recent loss of the New York State Senate on the Amazon giveaway issue.
Mayor Blames Amazon For New York City Losing New Jobs
Moreover, Mayor Bill de Blasio, one of the main supporters of the Amazon deal, is now blaming the company for massive job losses. In a Times op-ed, Blasio states that the new Amazon headquarters in Long Island City was “scuttled by a few very powerful people sitting in a boardroom in Seattle.”
Consequently, Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Rahm Emanuel is urging Amazon to take another look at his city. Furthermore, Emanuel [3] even sent Amazon a letter urging the company to bring its new headquarters to the Windy City, The Chicago Tribune reports.
“You should take another look at Chicago,” Emanuel writes. “We will be happy to bring you back.” Illinois’ Democratic Governor, J.B. Pritzker, also put his name on the letter.
It should come as no surprise that other Democratic politicians want Amazon’s headquarters (or HQ2 [4]) in their cities as well. In fact, presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) says he wants to bring Amazon’s headquarters to Newark.
“We want HQ2,” Booker tells The Hill. Significantly, Booker is the former mayor of Newark.
New York City Losing New Jobs Because Amazon Abandons Headquarters
Nonetheless, Amazon is dropping its plans for a massive new headquarters. Rather, they are planning to lease office space in existing tech hubs instead.
Amazon executives are currently looking at land and office space in Chicago, The Tribune claims. Specifically, Amazon already employs 12,000 people in Illinois and 300 workers at a tech hub in Chicago. Besides Chicago, Amazon will build new offices in Arlington, Virginia, and Nashville, along with 17 tech hubs around the country.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Only Wants Government Jobs
Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez has a plan to deal with New York City losing new jobs. Particularly, AOC’s “Green New Deal [5]” contains a jobs guarantee [6].
Under a job guarantee, the federal government will give every unemployed American a high-paying government job with good benefits. However, Ocasio-Cortez does not say exactly how she will pay for the jobs guarantee. One can guess, though, that her strategy probably involves printing mass amounts of money out of thin air.
You may also enjoy reading an additional Off The Grid News article: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Will Eliminate Air Travel With Green New Deal [7]
What are your thoughts on Amazon scrapping their plans to build a headquarters in New York City? Let us know in the comments below.