As a powerful winter storm prepares to bury New York City under up to two feet of snow, city officials have issued an urgent call for emergency shovelers — and, in doing so, managed to deliver an unintended civics lesson.
The New York City Department of Sanitation has launched a recruitment drive for temporary snow shovelers, offering wages starting at $19.14 an hour and rising to $28.71 after 40 hours.
The catch: applicants must arrive armed with paperwork.
To qualify, shovelers are required to present two passport-style photos, two original forms of identification with copies, and a Social Security card. They must prove their age, legal work status, and identity before they are trusted with a snow shovel.
In other words, to clear slush from a sidewalk, the city demands a small dossier.
Meanwhile, under rules set by the New York City Board of Elections, most voters are not required to show photo ID at polling places. First-time voters may rely on limited documentation, such as a driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. Those who provided no ID when registering can still vote using an affidavit ballot.
So in New York, removing snow requires multiple IDs, official documents, and photographs.
Removing or installing political leaders requires a signature. The message is hard to ignore.
The city insists on rigorous verification before someone is allowed to scrape ice from a curb, but applies far lighter standards when someone helps shape the future of local, state, and national government.
Want to shovel? Prove your identity. Want to vote? Just pinky promise you’re you.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
