How, you may wonder, do “we” come to the conclusion of what to like and what to not in “our” editorials? It’s somewhat of a collaborative process between me, the editor of the paper, the writers and my fellow editors and our publisher, the guy who sits at the desk behind mine, Geddy. I certainly have my own opinions, and sometimes the editorials are just my personal rants. But one of the best things about working in this office is having so many really smart colleagues to bounce things off of and to add perspectives I didn’t see at first. (Sitting next to Geddy for the better part of eight years has raised my IQ maybe 10 to 20 points alone.) That said, here’s a brief roundup of what the editorial “we” opines this week.
Community IDs: Support. The fact is, there are a lot of undocumented immigrants inKingston, and the quicker they are integrated into the community as a whole, the better it is for them, and the better it is for the community. I am sensitive to those who think that if you broke the law to come here; a member of my family is a naturalized citizen and that process was heinous, drawn-out and annoying. However, the simple fact is that there are 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country. It’s impractical in the extreme to think that somehow, that many people, or even a fraction of that many people, are going to be arrested, given even a semblance of due process and repatriated to their countries of origin. I would shudder to think how much that would even cost. Of Washington’s numerous failings, the lack of coherent, realistic immigration reform and a path to citizenship is at the top of the heap. Acknowledge these people are here and deal with them. ID cards are a first step.
Urban chickens: An idea worth serious consideration. (I write this even in the wake of almost being maimed by a highly territorial free-range chicken at aSouthern Ulster farm a few weeks ago, but that’s a story for another time.) The city-farming and local-eating movements are already doing great things for the city and the region, and there’s the potential for a lot more. Other cities have made it work. Kingston can too.
Gallo’s hiring of campaign staff for city jobs: Considering who he’s hired, it’s OK. Tom Hoffay’s point about Eliot Spitzer flouting the spoils system is particularly well-taken. Shayne Gallo has a unique background and rare skill-set to fix the city and lead it forward; him putting qualified people he knows and trusts on his team may raise the brows of those who justifiably crave an end to “friends and family plan” of city job-doling, but it’s not a sin (Andrew Jackson is with us on this) and his appointees should be given a shot at success.
Safety Net: Can’t wait for the court case. If nothing else, Ulster’s peculiar way of passing along those costs to municipalities, which screws the city badly already and will do so even more forcefully next year, illustrates why we need a judicial branch to lay down the law when the legislative branch won’t cough up justice on its own.