PressEthic

In the metro section of The New York Times on Monday Sep. 26th, was an article that caught my attention, because its headline was claiming something that I strongly endorse- ‘Sometimes Complaining is a Civic virtue’. Anyway, it turned out the headline was about all I agreed with.

The premise of the article was that New Orleans was in some ways to blame for its own destruction, because of the complacent attitude of its citizens. At one point the writer actually tried to make a point by asking:

‘Ask New Orleans why they didn’t insist on more police, better schools, better housing and the answer tends to go like this: Not enough money in the city budget. Why not expand the budget? A small tax base because too many residents are poor and too many wealthy benefit from low taxes. Why not get more from the state, and why not raise taxes? Don’t be silly.’

The line of reasoning seemed perfectly logical to me even though the writer had used it to imply otherwise. A poor economy forms a very vicious circle, and to claim that an enhanced civic sense can somehow resolve such a complicated problem is a gross oversimplification.

Furthermore, since when have tax regulations been dictated by ordinary citizens, much less the poorest and least influential ones. Besides, the whole country is watching while its president claims that he will spend billions of dollars in restoring the gulf coast without raising taxes. So how are the residents of New Orleans any different?

The writer further builds up by talking about corruption in the local government, backed by an example of former Louisiane governor Edwin W. Edwards serving jail time, after being convicted of federal racketeering and extortion charges. I would question how relevant such a line of reasoning is as corrupt politicians are by no means limited to Louisiana Politics. A recent example is that of Governor George Ryan of Illinois whose trial will be underway soon.

The article concluded on an emotional note to New Yorkers:

‘So keep complaining, New York. Be demanding. Drive on the wrong side of the street if it helps in an emergency. Matters promises to continue to do its part’.

Really- I got the feeling that the whole article had been constructed around this one thought. What a nice little feel good column to put in the metro section of one of New York’s largest dailies. Maybe I am being a bit harsh but I was offended on behalf of New Orleans.