NY Governor Hopeful Longs for Return of Poorhouse Days

Next week, New Yorkers will be going to the polls to vote in the primaries for their candidates for governor ahead of the general election in November. One Republican candidate is Tea Party-backed Carl Paladino, a wealthy real estate developer from Buffalo. For some, that's enough to question his qualifications. But listen to this:

Paladino recently shared his vision to "solve" two challenging issues at once — homelessness and vacant prisons. As governor, he said he would "transform some New York prisons into dormitories for welfare recipients, where they would work in state-sponsored jobs, get employment training and take lessons in 'personal hygiene'."

Wait, there's more. For those who are willing (his program is voluntary), his plan would provide the opportunity for recipients to learn valuable skills in a setting far outside the city. This is a selling point for Paladino, who said "[m]any young people would love to get the hell out of cities." According to Paladino, young poor people want to "get the hell out" because of the nature of their home lives. To him, these youngsters all come from "dysfunctional homes" and do not learn the basic skills they need to survive. What are these valuable skills? His exact words: "You have to teach them basic things — taking care of themselves, physical fitness. In their dysfunctional environment, they never learned these things."

Tthis is his plan to somehow improve the lives of those living in poverty? He's making sweeping statements about their character, while not addressing the issue of access to needed services. As if poor individuals are all dirty and are making the choice to not care for themselves. Yet another myth and stereotype being reiterated by a public figure. Sigh.

It goes without saying that Paladino's statements are utterly offensive to the thousands of impoverished New Yorkers struggling to survive. His plan sends a symbolic message to those living in poverty — "you should be imprisoned." This is reminiscent of the poorhouse days where the poor were shuffled away to live together. They were removed from the rest of society to live by themselves, out of the way of the rich. Paladino's grand idea is the exact message of the poorhouse days.

Thankfully, his fellow politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, have criticized his warped vision. No one outside of Paladino's own circle supports his plan. In fact, they slam him for his antiquated and offensive perceptions. The best criticism came from former NYC comptroller William Thompson, who said, "If anyone needs a lesson in hygiene, it's Carl Paladino. His mouth is consistently spewing toxic rhetoric."

With ample criticism and some real competition, Paladino will most likely not win the Republican primary. Yet despite the outcome, it's a sobering thought that people like Paladino still exist and are attempting to implement their ideas through public office. It all comes down to the vote. This is where the power of the people can be exercised and heard. So if you live in New York State, please go to the polls on September 14th and make your voices heard. If you live elsewhere, do your part make sure no Paladino thinkalikes take office.

Photo credit: Shayan Sanyal