What to do when the rent is too darn high…

For those of you who missed the New York gubernatorial debate last week, you lost out on an invaluable opportunity to meet seven faces, each representing a different facet of the New York psyche, and all in desperate need of expensive Upper East Side psychotherapy.

The cast of characters that graced the Hofstra University stage ranged from Tea Party-endorsed Republican Carl Paladino to Anti-Prohibition Party candidate Kristin Davis, whose platform had little to with alcohol and a whole lot more to do with marijuana. And while there were the typical mix of socialists and eco-nazis, my personal favorite was a Vietnam war veteran: Jimmy McMillan, the candidate for the Rent Is Too Damn High Party.

The premise of the party is clear: High rents result in unhappy New Yorkers, which for some of you may some redundant. However, McMillan is making a slightly less sarcastic point, and that is that the cost of rent is threatening the livelihoods of New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs. As an aspiring rent-paying New Yorker, this sentiment resonates with me.

I have this strong desire to return to New York upon graduation, but I am also the quintessential realist, aware of the financial constraints on pursuing said desire. Since I have determined to not sell my soul to the investment banking gods, I am left with few well-paying job opportunities and little Starbucks latte allowance.

In recent days, I had determined to look for professional employment elsewhere- say, Chicago or Santa Fe. And while I may pursue job leads all across the United States, and perhaps, globe, I still would like the possibility of a future in New York. Enter: McMillan, a man of the people. A man who refuses to pay rent and a man who consumes large quantities of coffee, though his may  be decaffeinated.If elected, he has offered the other candidates the opportunity to have a group coffee date in his Albany office, where they discuss, you guessed it, rent.

Notably, even Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic candidate and likely the only half-way sane member of the gubernatorial group, agrees, the cost of living in the City is exorbitant. He, too, has promised to address the issue, though his plan involves a few less theatrics and tax-paying sponsored caffeine outings. I guess it is safe to say, McMillan had me at coffee date in Albany.