Andrew Friedman

Do we still believe in fairness?

Hidden beneath the debate that never really happened about whether something like a ten to one spending differential in the Mayoral race conflicts with our values as a society is an even more fundamental question about equality. Do we really believe in it?

Let's set aside, for the moment, the important question about whether, as a society, we might be able to create an electoral system that could leave candidates for public office neither "beholden to moneyed special interests" on the one hand, nor free to spend unlimited personal wealth to tilt the election scales in their favor on the other.

A question that I have not heard asked at all this election season is whether there is something grotesque about a City that is so inequitable that some New Yorkers have no food, no housing and no health insurance, and others have amassed enough money that they can spend up to a hundred million dollars on an election campaign without even making a dent on their personal fortunes.

This level of inequity speaks volumes about our values. Is Mike Bloomberg, or Donald Trump, or anyone else really worth so much more to our collective well being than the millions of New Yorkers who live in neighborhoods like Brownsville, Mott Haven or Corona?

If we really believe in equality, our political discourse must include an exploration of public policies that could create a more equitable city, and a more equitable nation.

It's fun to imagine all of the things that we personally wouldn't have to worry about if we got rich - rising rents, increasing gas prices, college. It's more productive, though, to imagine ways to structure our society so that that we wouldn't need to be rich to access decent housing or a solid education for our children.

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Posted at 7:57 AM, Nov 07, 2005 in Middle-class squeeze
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