Andrew Cuomo
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (AP Photo/Mike Groll)

By Robert B. Young, MD

New York Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo is gaining a deserved reputation as a strong leader and effective communicator about the coronavirus crisis in New York state, which has been particularly bad in New York City. His daily live video updates are watched all over the country because of that, and the fact that the state and City are at the epicenter of infection in the United States.

But this is the same governor who on March 25 required nursing homes, the highest risk facilities for residents, to admit actively infected virus patients while saying “It’s not our job” to provide protective gear to them. Quoth Andrew: “That’s life!”

Then on May 15, he reversed the policy, along with instituting an investigation into what nursing homes did wrong—facilities that are not equipped to provide acute care and were far below hospitals on accessing personal protective equipment (PPE). Of course, on May 18 he proclaimed that this was all an outcome of nature: “Who can we prosecute for those deaths? Nobody.”

And the same governor who shut down his own state ethics commission in 2014 once he realized it was starting to investigate his own campaign and supporters.

Just like Rahm Emanuel, Cuomo “never let[s] a serious crisis go to waste . . . it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” In this crisis, his anti-gun stripes are blazing.

Cuomo’s politics on guns have been foul for years. Following on then-President Barack Obama’s critique that too many Americans “cling to their guns or religion”, Cuomo has made it clear that “extreme conservatives . . . have no place in the state of New York, because that’s not who New Yorkers are.” Millions of upstate New Yorkers (that is, outside the NYC metro area and Albany) and gun owners disagree.

The opportunity he’s taking is to deprive New York of acutely needed help fighting the corona virus by treating gun owners and the firearms industry as pestilential themselves during this crisis.

Despite the Federal government defining all aspects of the firearm industry, from manufacture to retail, as “essential” business, Cuomo has kept New York’s firearms commerce shut down. Other states that have attempted this have been sued and, properly, had to reverse their closures of gun sales, ranges and manufacture. The National Rifle Association, with the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association is now suing New York state to accomplish the same thing. (This, at a time when incarcerated felons are being released due to coronavirus infection in the prisons.)

Cuomo will draw this out as long as he can and declare the question moot once New York must respond in court. Respecting the Second Amendment’s two and a quarter centuries’ existence has never been his style.

 

Less well known is that Cuomo did not even acknowledge an offer by Remington Arms in Ilion, New York (one of the nation’s oldest and largest firearms factories) to make any medical supplies needed to fight the virus that is decimating New York. Remington’s CEO, Ken D’Arcy, made this offer public on March 24. This was while everything from masks to sanitizer to hospital beds and ventilators are in desperate shortage, threatening to result in thousands of unnecessary deaths. To our knowledge, New York state government has never replied.

At the same time, the Governor was begging medical personnel to come work in the New York City area in order to make up for short hospital staffing in the face of the overwhelming acute care demands caused by the corona virus. Then on May 8 he annnounced that he intends to assess New York state income tax on these earnings by out-of-state temporary workers who responded to New York’s emergency. Indeed, crises reveal many ways for politicians like Andrew Cuomo to manipulate and take advantage of the good intentions of generous Americans, which he invited!

Which leads us to consider another New York state of mind. Governor Cuomo is proud to declaim that New York has “the strongest gun laws in the nation” every time he signs another harmful, restrictive gun bill into law. But, like the ghosting of Remington Arms’ generous offer, these are counter-productive if he truly wants all hands on deck to save New York lives.

All of New York state is may-issue even to own a handgun, let alone carry one, but New York City’s laws are draconian, making it virtually impossible to obtain the necessary NYC permit (even for other New York residents). New York refuses to recognize any other states’ pistol permits as valid, at the same time declining to offer non-resident permits.

As a concealed carry licensed New York resident, why would I want to go into what has been described as a “war zone” newly disarmed? At least 25,000 out-of-state medical professionals had volunteered by early April to come help out New York City hospitals (and 65,000 from within New York state). How many were dissuaded on discovering they would not be allowed to protect themselves as at home? How many did not understand the legal risks they face by bringing their firearms with them here, as they are accustomed to everywhere else?

Yes, with crises come opportunities to create change for the better. But in New York state today, led by Andrew Cuomo, many opportunities created by this crisis are also being corrupted.

 

Robert B. Young, MD is a psychiatrist practicing in Pittsford, NY, an associate clinical professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

This article was originally published at drgo.us and is reprinted here with permission. 

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70 COMMENTS

  1. Cuomo is a scumbag he put covid-19 patients in with the most vulnerable people and will not own his failure. He is a typical lib/prog, with the at any cost mentality. He should be held responsible but the democrat propaganda machine aka MSM is touting him as a leader..just sickening

    • It’s jarring seeing exactly what is going on up here spelled out so accurately in any form of news. Only up end is we did finally manage to sentence and jail that sex cult leader and we may do a half-assed reopening.

    • The Cuomo, virtue-signalling is more important than lives. Especially the lives of “little-people”.

    • But wait, it’s, it’s, all Trump’s fault! 🤪
      Put that POS Cuomo on one of those many ventilators that he claimed NYC so badly needed. Then, throw him into one of those refrigeration trucks where they’ve been storing the dead. FU Cuomo.

      • Yeah, what he commented. That “person” is absolutely disgusting and the role model for all of his fellow hypocritical politicians and sycophants. He is what is wrong with America.

  2. He was probably promised the position of sec. of state or court jester when Soros is crowned!

    • Actually he has been applying, daily, for the position of presidential candidate of the official Democratic/ chinese party.

  3. In the last few months, Gov. Mussolini has killed more aged New Yorkers than diabetes.

  6. Andrew & his brother both have a HUGE soapbox to proclaim & spout their wisdom, & a lot of liberals can’t wait to hear what they gots to say.
    But it’s easy to fool the uneducated.

  7. This a New York problem. Caused by New York citizens. If they decide to eliminate their problem(s). I’ll offer my support as any good Patriot should. It’s up to them. Tyranny knows no boundary or border. No color or creed. It fears not words or intentions. It thrives on division,complacency and fear. It only knows power and control. When good people stand by and allow it to thrive. It destroys all that is good in society. When people fear the consequences of fighting for their Rights/Freedoms…More than they fear the loss of their Rights/Freedoms. Tyranny prevails and they become subjects. Keep Your Powder Dry.

    • It, and he, are a massive problem inflicted upon the entire United States. Remove New York stats from the equation and you have a basic flu season. Hes a wanna be dictator.

  8. My sister earned her koo degree and master’s in a northern university and continued to work in academia until she retired. She then bought a condo on 30A and got a position with the Walton County school system. She’s been staying with our mom since the corona virus thing began. I dropped by to visit Mom a couple of weeks ago. Mom and I were laughing at Slow Joe’s latest gaffe. Mary said, “The democrats would be better off with Andrew Cuomo.” I said, “The democrats might be better off but the rest of the country wouldn’t.” She snapped the cover closed on her iPad (she had it surgically attached to her left hand) and stomped out of the room. She drank a vat of the kool aid while she was up north. Unless we all go to the polls, and do everything we can for pro 2A candidates, all is lost.

    • I know worked with a lot of nice folks from New York state ( they still live there).

      But they did elect Don Cuomo as their dick-tater, so it makes you wonder.

      But he does a great job of positioning New York as the only state that really matters.

      And the dems see almost anybody as better than Dementia Joe.

      If not this election, he will run in the next one. We need to be ready.

    • i was a state police officer in NY! I avoided New York City at all costs! Now that I’m retired I wouldn’t go there for any reason! Its the cesspool of N Y State! And our illustrious Gov dosen’t care if his policies trample all over our constitutionaly given rights! He has to go, either vote him out or impeach him!

  11. So I have a bit of a dumb question for one here who may know a bit more about the state of New York. That is, how is it that New York City itself is a socialist hell hole, but yet upstate New York is beautiful, and seems to have people who are not utter moron Communist lovers? More people in NYC than in upstate New York?

      • So, so many more. It’s a plague of liberals here, really… a metaphorical plague, of course, unlike the one that Cuomo unleashed upon our nursing homes. FUACing idiot.

      • Aaaah, or as my friends in Colorado tell me: Denver and Boulder vs the rest of the state.

        • Pretty much, population/money concentrated for influence and if the elections are mostly popular votes the rest of the state doesn’t matter except for infrastructure and misc business for revenue purposes.

      • Chiraq – Illinois

        Madison – WI

        Twin Cities – MN

        StLouis/KC – MO

        Seeing theme here??

    • Shadow , while NYC is about 43% of the states population they’re solidly leftist , enough to carry the whole state .

      When people go “ oh you’re from NY …..” I tell them that many in West Virginia live closer to NYC then I do ,that kinda makes some think .

      • St Lawrence or Buffalo? Either way you are way out there in relation to NYC.

    • Staten Island actually voted for Trump / Pence. There just aren’t many people there compared to the rest of the boroughs.

    • Yes NYC has a higher population than rest of state. Most of us outside of NYC disagree with Cuomo on just about everything but our numbers are too low to sway the vote.

      • Similar to VA, the current ruling party represents less than 10% of the state’s counties but those 10% are the highest population areas. Basically, states are democracies (mob uh I mean majority rule) unlike the Federal level where there is the electoral college. I would genuinely like to see states move toward a republic rather than democracy but that just ain’t gonna happen.

        Essentially, we’re in a cities vs rural war and they have the numbers.

      • They keep spouting the constitution and how it should dictate policy except for the parts they don’t agree with. The second amendment which they hate but the leaders all have heavily armed security, the first amendment but only to protect a liberal agenda, obey laws passed by Congress except illegal immigration, legal elections unless an entity supports a democratic candidate (think Acorn which was a major voter fraud organization supporting Obama. When uncovered was disbanded and disappeared and no action taken). And the list goes on and on

  12. New York Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo is gaining a deserved reputation as a strong leader and effective communicator about the coronavirus crisis in New York state, which has been particularly bad in New York City. 

    I dont know what reality you live in but I dont consider someone who forces death upon those who can’t protect themselves as any kind of leader. Andrew Cuomo deserves condemnation for all that he’s done and continues to do in regard to this situation. He deserves to be forced into close quarters with multiple Covid19 patients until he gets it. Then impeached and prosecuted for manslaughter and a few other things. He’s a loser of the highest order and I’m glad I dont live in NY!

    • Only thing Cuomo did was sit in front of cameras and expound on how wonderful he was and how somebody else needed to jump through hoops to save his subjects. For weeks, he was demanding more and more PPE while sitting in front of a huge display of PPE. He’s a moron, accomplished absolutely nothing.

      • That’s all you have to do when you’re a democrat. The media will handle the rest for you.

    • All you have to do to be considered a leader is convince enough people to follow you. Doesn’t mean you have to have any morals or principles or even a clue.

  13. If you want to see more of Cuomo’s incompetence, realize that the New York Transit Authority is in NYC yet it is a state run entity…under Cuomo’s control. Please watch this on youtube before it is taken down like everything else that exposes their agenda…”uncovering covid-19- how new york city has handled the subway the homeless and the pandemic” more NYTA employees dies from covid-19 that NYPD or NYFD, the subways were running 24/7 until MAY 2nd! When they finally started to disinfect the cars…Cuomo needs to be indicted, prosecuted and imprisoned…

  14. “…His daily live video updates are watched all over the country because of that, and the fact that the state and City are at the epicenter of infection in the United States….”

    Yeah no, not watching, not even close to.

    New York City citizens believe themselves to be the epicenter of everything.

    • I know! It really ticks off those of us who really are the epicenter of everything here in Texas! 😉

  15. Cuomo is nothing but an incompetent buffoon. The leftist media covers for him, just as they do for all democrats.

    • “The leftist media covers for him, just as they do for all democrats.”

      There it is. If only democrats were half as open minded as they claim to be, they would have figured this out long ago.

      • How do we go about educating the Democrat voters about the truth about the Democrat Party? The sad fact is you can’t because you can’t fix stupid.

    • Wasn’t planning on retiring up here now I am thinking it’s time to find a primary physician somewhere in New Hampshire.

  17. Governors and the President, all have failed terribly in handling this natural disaster. No surprises there.

    • Yes, it’s natural. Disaster? Hardly!! The sky is not falling! If anyone ever calls you a douche bag, it would behoove you to spend the time to ask them why. Introspect is not fatal.

  19. “It’s not our job” to provide protective gear to them. Quoth Andrew: “That’s life!”

    So sayeth Andy the Commieo,worthless Communist scum, next would be Tyrant.

  20. It ain’t cumo it’s chicken gumbo the b. D should get this chink virus and go to where he belongs HELL fear must be a terrible thing brought his state this bullshit virus asshole this so-called doctor must be a stumper for el-douchbag

  22. I have too many friends in the legal field to expect Cuomo will escape judgement . Anyone on any jury hearing about Grandma dying all alone except Jesus will make him pay bigtime .There is a few dumb lawyers but they all work for the government . I’m voting for a five year payment on the councilors Mercedes .

  23. I lived in NY state when this idiot’s father was governor.

    Rank stupidity and corruption are heritable genetic conditions, and the Cuomo and Kennedy clans prove that in abundance. One of the things I’ve learned that lots of people seem to get wrong, clear back to Biblical times, is this idea of “not visiting the sins of the father upon the son.”

    Well, this is how you get this kind of crap. If children were made to pay for the sins of their parent(s), then we’d end up with much less of this political dynasty nonsense and the self-dealing mendacity of Ivy League elites who seem to increasingly form an elitist-by-heritage society of their own, thanks to legacy admissions.

  24. “Then on May 8 he annnounced that he intends to assess New York state income tax on these earnings by out-of-state temporary workers who responded to New York’s emergency.”

    Worse, companies that sent their employees to help with the crisis discovered that their people, the ones who showed up to help, were *personally* billed by NY state for taxes on the money they earned there.

    The mind boggles at the gall…

    • Will never happen unless he’s willing at that point to expose his own corrupt dealings. Despite all the twitter bullshit these two are tied at the hip.

  26. From the things Gov. Coma has said, it would appear he is one of those “ZERO POPULATION” wishers. Try him in court and get him to admit his orders to infect the elderly with his demands on nursing homes, was really just enabling the wishes of many of his far left cronies. Gov. Cuomo is a MASS MURDERER.

  27. What a piss-poor excuse for a governor. I left N.Y. 33 yrs. ago; and don’t regret a single minute of my life away from there. While I was there, I went to a gun store with a friend, who had gone thru all the hoops to get a pistol license. He looked in a display case, and asked to see a particular pistol that caught his eye. The irascible old lady behind the counter barked back ‘can I see your license?’. After my move to gun-friendly Florida, I went to a local firearms dealer, and asked to see a 9MM pistol. The clerk smiled and promptly put 5 pistols on the counter, and said, ‘I’ll be right back’. I about had a heart attack, as I was still in a “N.Y state of mind”.

    • Yes I also lived in NY. upstate, was pleasant there beautiful but as you know the taxes sucked! I as you now live in Florida and am quite pleased. I was in law enforcement retired now but found myself applying for a ccw permit when I left the job. after after 3 yrs marines and 20 leo the Judge still gave me the third degree and recanted how a leo had a traffic beef and pulled over and shot the other party who still proceeded to kick said leo’s ass after being shot! The ironic thing which I kept to myself but would have loved to recant was the fact that a Judge in the city had just been charged with kid napping! Go figure? pete

  28. So what, he’ll get away with it because all people will do is make nasty comments….No one will take any substantive action against him.

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