New Yorkers deserve a fair and just economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few. As we dive into 2023, we look back to the increasingly alarming rates of New Yorkers that are attempting to survive and get through the month. Across communities–Black or white, documented or undocumented, upstate or downstate–we deserve to have everything we need to thrive and lead lives of joy and meaning.

The money we all pay in taxes is PUBLIC money–money intended to make life better for all of us. We should be putting more public money into things like daycare; low-cost high-quality housing; good schools for our kids; transportation options so people can get where they need to go; health care so that costs aren’t so out of reach for our neighbors. We need elected officials to do not what is politically expedient or safe, but to do what is morally right by ensuring that we have enough public money to deal with the desperate needs of New Yorkers and that we invest that public money in the public good.