Kudlow: This is a make-or-break moment for America

We begin tonight with the funeral of Det. Wilbert Mora, another incredibly sad and tragic cop killed in the line of duty. Det. Mora was a partner of Det. Jason Rivera, whose funeral was held last Friday in a completely packed house in St. Patrick's Cathedral here in New York City. 

Talking about this, the sadness quickly turns to anger at the total systemic leadership failure of the political and law enforcement agencies here in New York. 

Today, as was the case last Friday, 5th Avenue was filled with thousands of New York's finest, mourning and honoring their two former colleagues and I believe, just as was the case last Friday, the huge turnout by the blue line of New York's finest is making a very strong statement: "Enough is enough." 

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These two funerals should be game-changers here in Gotham. They're a local story, but it is a national story as well. With respect to crime, courts and jails, there is simply too much permissiveness plaguing this country.  

All the loose talk over the past two years of "defunding the police" and in some cases even ending police departments, of instinctively blaming cops whenever there's conflict on the streets, of coddling criminals and forgetting victims, be those victims civilians or cops, blue states actually permitting smash-and-grab looting — a problem that's getting worse, not better — over a dozen major cities in blue states experiencing record homicide rates. Who is looking out for the ordinary working folks who form the majority and the backbone of this country and who are staunch supporters of the police and law and order? 

It is they, not these anti-police, left-wing woke radicals, who in the long-run are going to win this battle against crime, but right now it is tough-going. 

I'll say, as somebody who's lived in New York City since 1973, with a bit of time off in Washington, this is a demoralizing period. I see it, I hear it from friends. Everybody's talking about it. It is not good. 

Just in January of this new year alone, 33 officers have been shot and six have been killed. That's in the first month. 

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Over the past 12 months, New York City crime has spiked nearly 39 percent. 

The neighborhoods aren't safe. Schools aren't safe. Subways aren't safe. Businesses aren't safe. 

This is a terrible state of affairs, and the past mayoral administration was anti-cop — literally anti-police. 

Frankly, the new governor of New York, Hochul, so far is no better. 

New Mayor Eric Adams wants judges to set bail and Hochul will not agree. 

No bail, no jail, District Attorney Bragg says. 

Hochul met with him and walked out with an opaque statement, "Safety and justice must go hand-in-hand." 

What the hell does that mean? She should have given him a highly visible public spanking and said, "Without immediate change, I'm going to fire you," but she didn't. 

The socialist legislature, both the assembly and the state Senate run by far-left Democrats, will not help. 

Eric Adams wants more bail and more jail. He's putting plainclothes police back on the streets, but the political establishment here is not supporting it. Instead, they are nit-picking him, ankle-biting him. 

Some teenage dumba-- rapper named C Blu shot a cop, was arrested, and then set free on an affordable bail. The mayor insists that the kid should still be in jail. 

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The business community met with DA Alvin Bragg, and my pal Steve Schwarzman spoke up and said folks won't come back to work unless the crime wave is stopped. 

Steve is right. Crime is a security issue, but it's also a big economic issue. 

People are fleeing the city and the state in some large measure because of crime. Businesses close and move elsewhere. Young people out of school look for jobs elsewhere around the country. 

I remember talking to Rudy Giuliani way back in the '90s when he moved forcefully to end the crime wave. I remember we talked that high-crime was a tax hike and low-crime was like a tax cut. New York City and state have to cut taxes as well to keep businesses here and attract new ones, but crime is really the first step. 

In fact, if you want to reform the city, it's tough on crime, school choice and cut taxes. That's an easy policy prescription. Ultimately, who is accountable? Who is responsible? And ultimately, it's the political class that is in charge. They have failed us, at the city and the state levels. 

We have a new mayor and let us be hopeful. The governor has got to be replaced. The legislature has got to be replaced, and somehow the city council has to be overcome. They're all crazy people who are ruining this place. 

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As a diehard New Yorker it makes me sad, very sad. I want a comeback here. I want a new New York. I want law and order. I want to respect cops and all uniformed services for that matter. I want to open businesses. I want to open office buildings. I want to open the schools. 

This is a crime story today. It's an economic story, but it's even much larger than that. This is a make-or-break moment for this city and really, it's a make-or-break moment for this whole country.  

That's my riff. 

This article is adapted from Larry Kudlow's opening commentary on the February 2, 2022, edition of "Kudlow."