What Exactly Does He Mean By That?

I saw this article in the Metro yesterday and it stayed with me because I realized that there was a message in it that had to do with much more than the subject at hand. (If you click on the image it will take you to the article online where you will more clearly see this quote): "It takes courage to ask people to change — even if it won’t really cost them much. Political leaders today are afraid of their constituents,” he [Bloomberg] said.

There is an underlying idea that politicians have more common sense then the rest of us, that they somehow know better and should therefore be given free rein to do whatever they damn well please. To be specific on this Bloomberg wanted the congestion tax levied on anyone entering the city within certain streets. As far as it goes, at least on the surface it sounded like a good idea. On the other hand it is exactly the same plane that has already been put into place in London and has been declared a dismal failure in the reduction of traffic. Where it has been successful is as a money raiser. A tax without calling it a tax - let's call it "pricing." Right. Also, as a person who, in terms of taxation lives in the city, but as an occasional driver across the 59th street bridge is someone who does not live in the city. Bloomie ya' can't have it both ways. Those of us who live across the river are also a part of the New York community.

Now let me get to that offhanded remark concerning the so called fear that political leaders have of (us) their constituents. Lets get real. The people we elect are supposed to be responsive to our needs. What Bloomberg has called fear I am going to take as another word for respect. So, I'm not saying that they should be afraid of us, but at least they should have enough respect for us and our opinions that they'll listen and take what we have to say seriously. We are not children. We did not elect a parent. A politician that does not have a certain and healty amount of "fear" of his constituents is called a King or a Queen. Politicians are not in the positions that they are in because they know so much more than the common man, but because the common man elected them fully trusting that the decisions they make will be just and representative of their constituents. The reason that the US is at war with Iraq is due in large part to the fact that we currently have an administration in office that has no fear whatsoever of their constituents. What a better world it might be if only they did. . .