We Are All In This Together
I do not live in New Rochelle NY, nor do I know anything about its local politics. But I came upon this piece from its Mayor Noam Branson reacting to an angry response in the community regarding the siting of a group home for disabled adults and several parts of it resonated.
Because there’s a cost to all this – to this cycle of too many politicians pretending to fight for people, while really serving only themselves, elevating expediency over conscience, issuing nice-sounding assurances in exchange for applause, until eventually reality overtakes the empty pledges, and then faith in public leadership slips just a little lower into the basement. After two decades in public life, I am neither naive nor pure, but there comes a point when someone has to say enough to all that, and I guess this is my moment. Silence is complicity.
Our community, which has always been defined by its welcoming spirit, is better than the objections raised at the meeting.
And:
At one point or another in our lives, each of us will be expected to step outside our comfort zone or bear some burden for a larger purpose. It can be as simple and broad as the taxes we pay for ADA curb cuts and special ed classes, or as complex and specific as this issue of group home placement. The costs are not always fairly distributed. What we get in return is the chance to live in a decent society.
This sentiment is what animated public policy in the twentieth century. All too often these days it seems we are getting away from it.
Click here for reuse options!Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Stuart Shapiro
Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.
29 responses to We Are All In This Together
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Bianca Bradley July 17th, 2014 at 16:14
I read the full piece from a link on Autism speaks. He made me cry. Good for him.
jasperjava July 17th, 2014 at 23:37
Glad to see that you’re moving away from conservative selfishness, bigotry, narrow-mindedness and mean-spiritedness.
Robert M. Snyder July 17th, 2014 at 23:43
“conservative selfishness, bigotry, narrow-mindedness and mean-spiritedness”
That’s one definition of “conservative”. There are equally unflattering definitions of “liberal”. Fortunately, most of the conservatives and liberals whom I have known do not fit these stereotypes.
jasperjava July 17th, 2014 at 23:49
The way your so-called “good” conservatives stay silent when the nasty racist bigots shoot off their mouths, they may as well ALL be that way.
When these so-called “good” conservatives start standing up to the bloodthirsty fascist lynch mobs, then we’ll talk. Online or at the coffee shops, it’s the brainless loudmouths who hold sway, and your so-called “good” conservatives clam up. Some even nod their heads in agreement. That’s why you have crazy talk about impeaching the President, and nobody in the Republican Party has the guts to say “hold on a minute”.
Bianca Bradley July 18th, 2014 at 00:05
Because when Bush was President, y’all were so impeccable? Clean your own house before pointing fingers at ours.
jasperjava July 18th, 2014 at 00:13
Staying silent when democracy gets stolen right under our noses? When war crimes are committed? When thousands of US troops are sacrificed for no reason? When they bring back TORTURE, fer cryin’ out loud?
Don’t bring back the B*sh years to defend your case. Another situation where so-called “good” Republicans stayed silent when atrocities were committed by their crooked right-wing cronies.
Bianca Bradley July 18th, 2014 at 01:17
Showing your closemindedness.
Our democracy was not stolen under our noses. It is now. Clinton made the argument for war with Iraq, there were plenty of reasons.
It’s ok to yell about Bush and act like a nut, but omg if the Conservatives do it, you name call. Own your own crap, before pointing fingers. Because otherwise you are a hypocrite.
arc99 July 18th, 2014 at 01:39
Certainly the liberal and Democratic criticism of President George W. Bush was strident and frequent. However I do not recall anyone demanding a birth certificate, questioning his religious faith or condemning his choice of mustard.
The American right has gone off the rails and any pretense that that criticism of Mr. Bush on the issues is equivalent to the irrational personal attacks against President Obama is ridiculous.
In any case, the bottom line is that we have been told for 5+ years that it is the President who is responsible for what happens on his watch, and no one else. Assuming that standard also applied from 2000-2008, then it is Mr. Bush and no one else who bears responsibility for spending over $2trillion in taxpayer dollars, and incurring 35,000+ military dead and wounded in a war for weapons that did not exist. There were no good reasons to invade Iraq. The UN inspectors were back on the ground, doing their jobs and finding nothing. Talk radio said they were incompetent. Anyone who opposed the invasion was labeled a traitor. Dixie Chicks records were destroyed in stupid PR stunts.
Compared to the hypocrisy and policy failure of the American right, the liberal house is pretty darn clean.
Bianca Bradley July 18th, 2014 at 00:15
Kiss my butt.
Group homes and doing what is right for those that need them is not a one side only political party. One of the first people to step up to the plate to help Autistic kids was Santorum, one of the most Conservative people I’ve seen. I have yet to see any of the Liberal politicians do more than lip service to get reelected.
AS for narrowmindedness, you are displaying a fine amount of it yourself.
I am Conservative, because I like more of their stance on politics than the Liberal politicians. However, I do think for myself. I have supported Lieberman. I give thanks that the Warren court was about in the 60’s, and thus made sure the Constitutional amendments were made applicable to the states. Before you argue they weren’t check history.
jasperjava July 18th, 2014 at 10:03
“I am a conservative, because I like more of their stance on politics than the liberal politicians”
There you go. You might as well wear a t-shirt that says “I’m evil, ignorant, narrow-minded, bigoted and stupid.”
So you’re proud to be in league with billionaires who want to control everything. You’re proud to stand with white supremacists and bloodthirsty warmongers. You see no problem with guns getting into the hands of crazies, slaughtering little schoolchildren.
I cannot imagine how awful you have to be to proudly proclaim that you’re a conservative. Sad, really, that there are people like this.
Bianca Bradley July 17th, 2014 at 16:14
I read the full piece from a link on Autism speaks. He made me cry. Good for him.
jasperjava July 17th, 2014 at 23:37
Glad to see that you’re moving away from conservative selfishness, bigotry, narrow-mindedness and mean-spiritedness.
Robert M. Snyder July 17th, 2014 at 23:43
“conservative selfishness, bigotry, narrow-mindedness and mean-spiritedness”
That’s one definition of “conservative”. There are equally unflattering definitions of “liberal”. Fortunately, most of the conservatives and liberals whom I have known do not fit these stereotypes.
jasperjava July 17th, 2014 at 23:49
The way your so-called “good” conservatives stay silent when the nasty racist bigots shoot off their mouths, they may as well ALL be that way.
When these so-called “good” conservatives start standing up to the bloodthirsty fascist lynch mobs, then we’ll talk. Online or at the coffee shops, it’s the brainless loudmouths who hold sway, and your so-called “good” conservatives clam up. Some even nod their heads in agreement. That’s why you have crazy talk about impeaching the President, and nobody in the Republican Party has the guts to say “hold on a minute”.
Bianca Bradley July 18th, 2014 at 00:05
Because when Bush was President, y’all were so impeccable? Clean your own house before pointing fingers at ours.
jasperjava July 18th, 2014 at 00:13
Staying silent when democracy gets stolen right under our noses? When war crimes are committed? When thousands of US troops are sacrificed for no reason? When they bring back TORTURE, fer cryin’ out loud?
Don’t bring back the B*sh years to defend your case. Another situation where so-called “good” Republicans stayed silent when atrocities were committed by their crooked right-wing cronies.
Bianca Bradley July 18th, 2014 at 01:17
Showing your closemindedness.
Our democracy was not stolen under our noses. It is now. Clinton made the argument for war with Iraq, there were plenty of reasons.
It’s ok to yell about Bush and act like a nut, but omg if the Conservatives do it, you name call. Own your own crap, before pointing fingers. Because otherwise you are a hypocrite.
arc99 July 18th, 2014 at 01:39
Certainly the liberal and Democratic criticism of President George W. Bush was strident and frequent. However I do not recall anyone demanding a birth certificate, questioning his religious faith or condemning his choice of mustard.
The American right has gone off the rails and any pretense that that criticism of Mr. Bush on the issues is equivalent to the irrational personal attacks against President Obama is ridiculous.
In any case, the bottom line is that we have been told for 5+ years that it is the President who is responsible for what happens on his watch, and no one else. Assuming that standard also applied from 2000-2008, then it is Mr. Bush and no one else who bears responsibility for spending over $2trillion in taxpayer dollars, and incurring 35,000+ military dead and wounded in a war for weapons that did not exist. There were no good reasons to invade Iraq. The UN inspectors were back on the ground, doing their jobs and finding nothing. Talk radio said they were incompetent. Anyone who opposed the invasion was labeled a traitor. Dixie Chicks records were destroyed in stupid PR stunts.
Compared to the hypocrisy and policy failure of the American right, the liberal house is pretty darn clean.
Robert M. Snyder July 18th, 2014 at 00:13
“nobody in the Republican Party has the guts to say “hold on a minute”.”
There you go again…making those sweeping generalizations.
Did you see Megyn Kelly’s interview with Dick Cheney? When he accused Obama of being wrong about Iraq, she said “Time and time again, history has proven that you got it wrong as well in Iraq, sir.”. That took guts.
Hey, did you see Jonathan Turley’s congressional testimony yesterday? He said “The Obama Administration has advanced
constitutional arguments on presidential power that can only be described as both extreme and largely devoid of limiting principles that characterize our constitutional system.”
It’s refreshing to see liberals like Turley with the guts to criticize the president, but I didn’t exactly hear a chorus of liberal voices echoing Turley’s sentiments yesterday. When Obama speaks, I see a lot of Democratic head nodding.
People tend to nod their heads when someone is telling them what they want to hear and confirming their pre-existing biases. But in everyday life, when dealing with the real people they encounter in the workplace or in the community, I think that most people soften their views.
Bianca Bradley July 18th, 2014 at 00:15
Kiss my butt.
Group homes and doing what is right for those that need them is not a one side only political party. One of the first people to step up to the plate to help Autistic kids was Santorum, one of the most Conservative people I’ve seen. I have yet to see any of the Liberal politicians do more than lip service to get reelected.
AS for narrowmindedness, you are displaying a fine amount of it yourself.
I am Conservative, because I like more of their stance on politics than the Liberal politicians. However, I do think for myself. I have supported Lieberman. I give thanks that the Warren court was about in the 60’s, and thus made sure the Constitutional amendments were made applicable to the states. Before you argue they weren’t check history.
jasperjava July 18th, 2014 at 10:03
“I am a conservative, because I like more of their stance on politics than the liberal politicians”
There you go. You might as well wear a t-shirt that says “I’m evil, ignorant, narrow-minded, bigoted and stupid.”
So you’re proud to be in league with billionaires who want to control everything. You’re proud to stand with white supremacists and bloodthirsty warmongers. You see no problem with guns getting into the hands of crazies, slaughtering little schoolchildren.
I cannot imagine how awful you have to be to proudly proclaim that you’re a conservative. Sad, really, that there are people like this.
Ramona July 17th, 2014 at 17:00
Thanks so much for this, Stuart. That letter had to be so difficult for the mayor to write. It took real guts for him to do it, and I don’t know who could have improved on what he said and how he said it. He can sleep well, even knowing he may have blown any chance for re-election. That’s real bravery.
Ramona July 17th, 2014 at 17:00
Thanks so much for this, Stuart. That letter had to be so difficult for the mayor to write. It took real guts for him to do it, and I don’t know who could have improved on what he said and how he said it. He can sleep well, even knowing he may have blown any chance for re-election. That’s real bravery.
Suzanne McFly July 17th, 2014 at 21:52
“Taxes are the price we pay for civilization” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Suzanne McFly July 17th, 2014 at 21:52
“Taxes are the price we pay for civilization” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
KABoink_after_wingnut_hacker July 17th, 2014 at 22:01
Nice article.
Taxes are for the things we wish to do together in our collective interest. These are the things that make us a civilized society.
KABoink_after_wingnut_hacker July 17th, 2014 at 22:01
Nice article.
Taxes are for the things we wish to do together in our collective interest. These are the things that make us a civilized society.
burqa July 17th, 2014 at 23:39
We had the same sort of thing here when we established a homeless shelter about 25 years ago. The opposition was strong. People came up with all kinds of reasons to oppose it.
It was beautiful the way we had people standing up like this mayor. An ad hoc coalition of conservatives and liberals led by a few local ministers fought the good fight and Fredericksburg got the Thomas Brisben Homeless Shelter. As I recall, it was named after a man who died of exposure down along the river during the winter. Part of what made it particularly satisfying was the way people who were political enemies set aside their differences to do the right thing.
And the mayor mentioning the ADA and curb cuts rang a bell. Back then conservatives wailed that it would destroy business by causing them to go out of business because of the added expense of building ramps and handicap-access toilet stalls during a weak economy. Fortunately, bigger hearts prevailed and President George H.W. Bush signed it. Business coped just fine and a lot of us in construction appreciated getting the work to make the necessary changes so the handicapped could participate more fully in American life.
burqa July 17th, 2014 at 23:39
We had the same sort of thing here when we established a homeless shelter about 25 years ago. The opposition was strong. People came up with all kinds of reasons to oppose it.
It was beautiful the way we had people standing up like this mayor. An ad hoc coalition of conservatives and liberals led by a few local ministers fought the good fight and Fredericksburg got the Thomas Brisben Homeless Shelter. As I recall, it was named after a man who died of exposure down along the river during the winter. Part of what made it particularly satisfying was the way people who were political enemies set aside their differences to do the right thing.
And the mayor mentioning the ADA and curb cuts rang a bell. Back then conservatives wailed that it would destroy business by causing them to go out of business because of the added expense of building ramps and handicap-access toilet stalls during a weak economy. Fortunately, bigger hearts prevailed and President George H.W. Bush signed it. Business coped just fine and a lot of us in construction appreciated getting the work to make the necessary changes so the handicapped could participate more fully in American life.