We like this Gale Brewer statement, from her press release announcing a press conference on Tuesday:
“It’s great that we’re not smoking as much, and great that we’re not eating trans fats, but we need to focus on bed bugs in the same aggressive manner.”
It’s pretty obvious that bed bugs have not received the attention from the city’s executive that his other public health interests have. Most people we talk to assume there is a reluctance to admit the city is infested with bed bugs, as that would be bad for business. But it takes only a few moments of thought to understand how the exact opposite of that formulation obtains. And we know our Mayor is smart.
So, we prefer to think that he, like many thousands of New Yorkers, just doesn’t know enough about bed bugs.
There are way too many New Yorkers, from all socioeconomic backgrounds, who are living under the psychological and physical stress of intractable bed bug infestations that won’t let them sleep, think clearly, work productively, and enjoy home and family life.
There are way too many families, property owners and business owners who are struggling under the weight of extraordinary financial expenditures to control bed bugs.
It’s time to treat bed bugs with the respect such a formidable enemy deserves.
It’s certainly time to harness the resources we already have and make them count. As we’ve noted, insomnia has a higher profile as a public health issue in our city.
But anger and disappointment are unproductive. Only hard work will get us out of this mess. It’s an insect. We can beat it.
Tuesday is just around the corner.
These pages may be of related interest:
