Crains New York - July 15, 2013 - (Page 10)

OPINION CRAIN’S Yes on immigration bill R eaching consensus on immigration reform is as difficult as any task facing our ideological, hyperpartisan Congress. So the Senate’s passage of a comprehensive bill presents a huge opportunity for Washington, D.C., to help New York City’s immigrant-dependent businesses. Now comes the hard part: getting the House onboard. Many Republicans in the lower chamber hail from conservative districts and reflect their constituents’ narrow view of the immigration issue. Getting these politicians to see past their own re-election prospects is often impossible. But the bill is too important to local economies—notably New York’s—to end up as congressional roadkill. Immigration has fueled commerce in this city for centuries. It remains crucial today, nourishing neighborhoods across the five boroughs with aspiring entrepreneurs and seeding both Silicon Alley and Wall Street with the tech-savvy workers essential to their growth. While that seems so obvious from here, immigration’s image in many parts of the country is of shadowy “illegals” scampering across the southern border, stealing American jobs and depressing local wages. The reform bill would strengthen the rule of law, not undermine it, by bringing more workers onto the books, increasing productivity and protecting businesses that currently rely on undocumented employees who can be deported at any moment. CRAIN’S ONLINE POLL NEW YORK BUSINESS editor in chief Rance Crain publisher, vp Jill R. Kaplan The Republicans have always been willing to pass piecemeal measures—for example, to provide more of the skilled-worker visas that are snapped up faster than cash on the sidewalk—but Democrats knew that would cost them business players from the coalition needed to pass broader reform. The test of that strategy is now at hand, and the House mustn’t fail it. It must pass a bill similar enough to the Senate’s that the two bills can be reconciled in conference. The Senate bill is not perfect. It’s unclear how error-prone and burdensome to businesses its employee-verification system will be. And to attract Republican votes, bill crafters lavished billions of dollars on border fencing and other such measures—funding that would be better spent on transportation projects around the country to facilitate, not impede, the movement of human capital. We need new tunnels for trains under the Hudson River and New York Harbor, not for smugglers under the Mexican border. But the business community has waited too many years for Washington to rationalize the immigration system. And with the possible exception of Los Angeles, no city has more riding on the outcome than New York. Reform would strengthen the rule of law, not undermine it COMMENTS DOES ELIOT SPITZER DESERVE A SECOND CHANCE? Yes. He has learned from his personal failures, which tar an otherwise stellar résumé. No. He broke the law yet was let off the hook. He’s an embarrassment. Date of poll: July 8 464 votes 36% Yes 64% No FOR THIS WEEK’S QUESTIONS: Go to www.crainsnewyork.com/poll to have your say. 10 | Crain’s New York Business | July 15, 2013 Re “Horses get drawn into rights fight” ( July 8): Imagine if your boss forced you to work outside nine hours a day, seven days a week, even in temperatures of up to 90 degrees. When you balked, you’d be hit and whipped. Your off-hours would be spent in a cramped, stifling room in which you could barely move. Even in today’s horrendous job market, this isn’t a position anyone would sign up for. But for the horses used in New York City’s carriage industry, that unimaginable scenario is just another day. Electric cars are the perfect solution to end these cruel rides while still offering tourists an unforgettable experience. —jannette patterson Manhattan Contrary to the claims of her spin doctors and shills, Christine Quinn is no friend to animals and, as mayor, would turn a deaf ear to organizations that promote their rights and safety. As speaker of the City Council, Ms. Quinn blocked legislation that would mandate fire sprinklers in pet stores and kennels and killed proposals to build badly needed animal shelters in the Bronx and Queens. If she is elected mayor, it will be a death knell for the animals of New York City. —mary max Manhattan buck ennis newscom Neigh on carriages It is silly to say that horses get more vacation time than most New Yorkers. Horses are not people, and vacations are a human concept. Horses need daily turnout to pasture— something they do not get in the city because the space simply does not exist. Legally, a stall can be 60 square feet. The carriage EDITORIAL editor Glenn Coleman managing editor Jeremy Smerd deputy managing editors Valerie Block, Erik Ipsen assistant managing editor Erik Engquist senior producer, news Elisabeth Butler Cordova news producer Amanda Fung contributing editor Elaine Pofeldt columnists Greg David, Steve Hindy, Alair Townsend crain’s health pulse editor Barbara Benson senior reporters Theresa Agovino, Aaron Elstein, Lisa Fickenscher, Matthew Flamm reporters Chris Bragg, Matt Chaban, Daniel Geiger, Andrew J. Hawkins, Annie Karni, Adrianne Pasquarelli web reporters/producers Ken M. Christensen, Nazish Dholakia art director Steven Krupinski deputy art director Carolyn McClain staff photographer Buck Ennis copy desk chief Steve Noveck copy editor Thaddeus Rutkowski data editor Suzanne Panara assistant data editor Emily Laermer researcher Eva Saviano interns Tessa Berenson, Irina Ivanova, Laura Lorenzetti, Shannon McMahon, Elena Popina ADVERTISING, MARKETING AND PRODUCTION director of sales and marketing Nancy Adler senior account managers Irene Bar-Am, David Harkey, Jill Bottomley Kunkes, Courtney McCombs, Suzanne Wilson director of custom content Trish Henry sales coordinator Lauren Black newsletter product manager Alexis Sinclair credit Todd J. Masura (313-446-6097) director of audience & content partnership development Michael O’Connor senior marketing manager Catherine Schutten director of conferences & events Courtney Williams reprint sales manager Lauren Melesio production and pre-press director Simone Pryce advertising production manager Suzanne Fleischman Wies ONLINE AND INTERACTIVE SERVICES senior web developer, interactive Chris Tumminello business does not have the space to do it right, and it would rather have more horses in less space to make more money. —elizabeth forel President, Coalition to Ban HorseDrawn Carriages Our industry is at risk only because certain well-funded, powerful groups with animal-rights and real estate agendas have no qualms about misinforming the public and politicians. Thank you, Crain’s, for coming to the stables to see for yourselves and taking the photos that prove that NYCLASS is lying (like when they say the horses can’t lie down comfortably). Bigs the carriage horse proves otherwise! —christina hansen New York City carriage driver, via Facebook CRAIN’S WELCOMES SUBMISSIONS to its opinion pages. Send letters to letters@crainsnewyork.com. Send columns of 475 words or fewer to opinion@crainsnewyork.com. Please include the writer’s name, company, address and telephone number. TO SUBSCRIBE: For print and digital subscriptions or customer service, e-mail customerservice@crainsnewyork.com or call 877-824-9379 (in the U.S. and Canada) or 313-446-0450 (all other locations). $3.00 a copy for the print edition; or $99.95 one year, $179.95 two years, for print subscriptions with digital access. www.crainsnewyork.com/subscribe TO ADVERTISE: Contact Nancy Adler at nadler@crainsnewyork.com or call 212-210-0278. www.crainsnewyork.com/advertise FOR INFORMATION ON OUR EVENTS: Contact Courtney Williams at cwilliams@crainsnewyork.com or 212-210-0257. www.crainsnewyork.com/events TO CONTACT THE NEWSROOM: 711 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017-4036 editorial phone: 212.210.0277 fax 212.210.0799 Entire contents ©copyright 2013 Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved. ®CityBusiness is a registered trademark of MCP Inc., used under license agreement. CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS chairman Keith E. Crain president Rance Crain treasurer Mary Kay Crain Cindi Crain executive vp, operations William Morrow executive vp, director of strategic operations Chris Crain senior vp, group publisher Gloria Scoby vp/production, manufacturing David Kamis chief information officer Paul Dalpiaz founder G.D. Crain Jr. (1885-1973) chairman Mrs. G.D. Crain Jr. (1911-1996) secretary Merrilee Crain (1942-2012) http://www.crainsnewyork.com/subscribe http://www.crainsnewyork.com/advertise http://www.crainsnewyork.com/events http://www.crainsnewyork.com/poll

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - July 15, 2013

Crains New York - July 15, 2013
IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
SMALL BUSINESS
THE INSIDER
BUSINESS PEOPLE
OPINION
STEVE HINDY
GREG DAVID
REAL ESTATE DEALS
REPORT: HEALTH CARE
CLASSIFIEDS
FOR THE RECORD
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - July 15, 2013