Concerned Bay Staters will gather on Inn Street, Newburyport on Monday, January 18th at 1:30PM to highlight local concerns such as historic preservation, Plum Island erosion, education, and health care and how a Federal partnership can help local residents.
Newburyport City Councillor Ed Cameron called on Scott Brown to come clean: “In the 1940s the Federal government created the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island; in the 1960s local will and Federal HUD resources preserved Newburyport’s historic downtown from the wrecking ball; in the 1970s the Federal Clean Water Act sparked the clean up our Merrimack River.
Our Plum Islanders need continued Federal partnership to control erosion on Plum Island; our businesses need Federal assistance for vital infrastructure like the Whittier Bridge over Route 95; our citizens need health care reform to control rising insurance costs; and our children and parents need Federal support for local education needs.This is one of the more unstated elements of Newburyport's rebirth, at least in my opinion. The preservation of the downtown is sometimes presented as a local bootstrap-type of effort done by a group of stout-hearted locals. In many ways it was. The time, sweat equity and local private dollars were enormous. They should be--and frequently are--commended. (BTW, you should buy and read a Port in Progress book from the Daily News.)
Ultimately, however, the fuel for this spectacular engine came from the Federal government. True, the Feds needed convincing not to tear down the place, but they were prepared to invest the bucks (including the tax dollars collected from non-natives like my parents) into some form of transforming the downtown. They listened to the local preservationists, and by every reasonable measure it worked.
So the next time the Tea Party-types congregate downtown and rail about the horrors of big government, I hope they take time to look around, buy a cup of coffee or book, take a stroll along the river and enjoy the fruits of a genuine USA-government funded project.
4 comments:
yes, think of all the hack jobs that created! Government!
Folks, I love it when people comment, but could you make sure your comments provide a complete thought. Not sure what the above means.
Hack jobs? You mean the shop owners, clerks, waiters, waitresses, bartenders, barbers, baristas, cooks, busboys that all work downtown?
Tom,
Don't bother to look for common sense in these types of comments. These are people who, for whatever reason, are completely enamored of Norquist's 'Starve the beast' philosophy regarding government while failing to see that they are, in fact, suckling on the beast.
There is also no debating with them. Their debating tactic is repeating the same set of 'facts' over and over again until you give up in disgust...at which point they declare victory. Winning to them is not hearing from the other side.
There is historical precedent for this behavior and it has ALWAYS led to violence, destruction, forays into dictatorship and failed states. I would suggest reading a good, detailed history of the USSR from the Revolution up until the beginning of World War Two. Make note of how dissenting voices were treated and pay attention to the slippery use of language.
It's no wonder that American politics are viewed with a mix of fear, disgust and humor across the rest of the planet, kind of like a John Waters movie.
- The Carrot
that's funny carrot, i needed the laugh. is it hard keeping track of all those double standards?
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