Only in New York...

...can a city council raise of 32% occur, AND be justified!

Sounds ridiculous right? It isn't as crazy as it seems.

Consider that only brings their salary to $148,000. Sure, that is plenty of money for you and me, but that's barely twice the pay a Goldman Sachs intern makes for a year  (average $66k/year, high $76k/year). Politicians have standards, ya know...

But let's be realistic about this: New York City is the most expensive city in North America, and the 4th most expensive by real estate prices. Think about it: The annual rental cost for 900 square feet in New York is about $33k. That's for "normal", and we all know New York politicians aren't "normal", right? All you need to know: It takes a majority of New York voters to elect them.

So how did New York get to be so expensive?

Certainly having a lot of people in a small area helps, although it takes more than that. If that was all that counted, the most expensive cities would all be in China.

No, it takes big government to create big cost of living. Regulations and taxes aren't cheap, ya know? Your politicians work hard to make things more expensive for you, and nobody works harder than politicians in New York, both city and state.

To my friends in New York City, I say: Please be understanding. Your politicians are earning their pay. So when you look at your cost of living and your taxes, just remember to send a thank you note to your local politician for all his/her hard work...

BONUS: New Yorker proves drone users aren't as smart as their own tech.