Taylor Branch, the Civil Rights historian, had a powerful opinion piece ending with a favorite parable of MLK. Maybe, it does touch the necessarily bleakness when the last image we have is of a "liberal" in hell, still unable to know what to do, even if his heart is in the right place. Branch also underlines the problem is not one party, the problem "far too big" to so limit. And, if you ignore the depth of the problem, you will find any solution is but quicksand. Sorta like trying to control the Senate with 51 votes or something. Or, ignoring your problems ... sorta like Obama saying that even those we disagree with often has some real concern, misplaced they might be in the end.
But, apologies to Malcolm X, you have to take that knife out in degrees sometimes. Don't dare call it success when it is still rather deep in your back, but "progress" doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt like a ****. It might just mean that the net result is somewhat positive and has provides some ability to bear the situation with a degree of relief. And, where should we look? Are all sides equal in this regard? No. Nor, is the options pretty. I had a debate over the weekend over the "congestion pricing" plan favored by Mayor Bloomberg. The devil is in the details, and they didn't satisfy the state assembly. And, some who I respect find this a good thing, all things considered.
But, the person who felt $8 and so forth was too much money to pay to drive into parts of the city must also face up to the alternative as well:
After Mr. Silver announced the plan’s demise, a statement was released by Mary E. Peters, the federal transportation secretary, indicating that her department would now seek to distribute those funds to traffic-fighting proposals in other cities.
New York also hoped to use revenues from congestion pricing to finance billions of dollars in subway expansion and other improvements by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, money that must now come from somewhere else.
Consider as well, going on seven years, there is still a big hole downtown. I reckon there was still plenty of ruins in '53, after WWII, but there was a lot more scale there. And, congestion pricing addresses a real issue -- for instance, many want a new subway stop on the West Side. Who will pay? There was also an article in the NYT yesterday about how some students are drawn to philosophy, much to their surprise. It is more useful than some (I admit, I am not a big booster) think since it has deep applications, including analyzing any number of decisions we make. This sounds like another college deal.
Something about a free rider problem ... with the people whining when asked to pay. A nod of respect btw to our subway system ... millions a day. And, even with problems, some dirt and grime, annoying "performers" and a bit of crime (remarkably little given the breadth of the system, even late at night), it runs remarkably well. Such is why some rather well off people in suits worth more than half my closet still take it on a daily basis. But, this costs money, people. This plan might be flawed. I'm not sure.
Find a better one then.