Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
I’m a day late in getting to this—but even at that I appear to have beat by about 48 hours the time it took the snow removal crews to clear Manhattan.
I write in California, but snow is on my mind. I have Rob to thank. During our podcast this past week, Rob, holed up in a cool new hotel in Soho—or was it Tribecca?—described the snow through which he’d had to trudge that very morning, the street scenes of irate New Yorkers, and a fellow pedestrian who muttered, “Thanks for nuttin’, Mayuh Bloombug!” It’s not that the City should necessarily have been able to get rid of the snow any more quickly than it did—on the island of Manhattan, about the only thing you can do with snow is dump it into the East or Hudson rivers, and trucking that much snow represents a massive undertaking—as that the snow revealed the overweening vanity of City government. “The things the government is supposed to do—removing snow, filling potholes, keeping the sewers repaired—all that is hard enough (I’m quoting Rob from memory here). The idea that the city government should also try to turn every New Yorker into a better human being by getting him to quit smoking and reduce his salt intake is just crazy.”
If I’d seen that point in print, I’d have thought, “Hm. That’s actually pretty profound.” Now—well, yesterday, actually—the point is in print. From “Snowblind in Gotham,” an editorial in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal:
According to figures compiled by the Citizens Budget Commission, in fiscal 2011 the city has 9,419 sanitation workers, who also do snow removal. That's down about 500 employees from three years earlier, though spending is up about $200 million.
Meanwhile, the city has no fewer than 14,530 workers spending $8.4 billion on social services, up about $1 billion and 500 employees from 2007. There are 6,100 public employees working on environmental protection and another 12,100 at the housing authority, plus 6,400 devoted to "health and mental hygiene." Oh, and the city's pension contributions are climbing to $7.49 billion in fiscal 2011, from $4.7 billion in 2007.
These spending categories don't fully explain the snow-shovel breakdown. But they are illustrative of a city government that thinks it has a writ to do everything.
A writ to do everything. In other words, Mr. Long nailed it.
P.S. The New York Times, I notice, also ran a piece on the snow removal fiasco. Did the grey lady adduce facts and figures? Did it suggest government overreach and misplaced priorities? Hah!
It is as much a part of New York City blizzard as slush and cold and the color white itself: postblizzard outrage over the municipal response to said blizzard. One can imagine the very earliest settlers of New Amsterdam railed at their Dutch leaders after blizzrds. The path to my farm is not plowed! It’s been three days! Het sneeuwt!
In other words, instead of engaging in anything that approached genuine reporting—or, really, even discernable thought—the grey lady treated the blizzard as a cultural matter, then wrote a silly feature piece about it. To the extent that they reached any conclusions, the editors of the Times—those stout defenders of the interests of ordinary New Yorkers—decided that the citizens trudging through snowdrifts up to their knees ought to quit bellyaching.
Useless—that’s what the grey lady has become. Just useless.
P.P.S. Does anybody know what the heck "Het sneeut!" means? Special New Year's wishes if you clue in the rest of us.
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May '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
I must strongly protest here on behalf of Mayor Bloomberg. He has been remarkably prescient on this issue, and I am amazed that conservatives have failed to catch on.
Limitation of salt on foods? Of course- there is only so much salt in NYC. He was stocking up the limited supplies, because all of that sodium chloride is now desperately needed to spread on the streets to melt snow. And enough of it can repolace a sanitation worker with a plow.
Be fair, people.
Nov '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
It looks like a drinking toast, but "Het sneeut" means simply: "The snow!" (as in, "Look at all the snow!") In other words, it is a statement of the obvious, disguised as a cute and clever-looking Dutch expression. Only The New York Times can manage to look twee and pompous at the same time.
Edited on Dec 31, 2010 at 12:38pmMay '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
Been waiting for Peter to make a reference to the NYT. Knew it wouldn't be long, kinda like running your tounge over a broken tooth or something.
Anyway, put my name down on the list of people sincerely desirous of the NYT going bankrupt and disappearing from the scene.
Weight whatever good the NYT provides against it's incalculable damage to our country (publishing classified information), and we're better off without it.
May '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
Best I can figure from my Dutch-English dictionary, "Het sneeut!" means "The sneeut!".
A likely candidate for a new nickname for Michael Bloomberg. In Chicago we have "Da Mayor," in NYC they can have "The Sneeut!"
Nov '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
You are missing the real stories, Peter.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/sanit_filthy_snow_slow_mo_qH57MZwC53QKOJlekSSDJK
http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2010/12/new-york-city-streets-are-unplowed-least-sanitation-workers-retir
Jun '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
The cities that do it best have a snow-emergency plan, they distribute the plan in advance, everybody knows it, and nobody has to sit and wait for instructions. Main thoroughfares/arteries get plowed first, and then they work their way down to the capillaries. For example, all North/South streets are finished on day one, all East/West streets are finished on day two. Park accordingly. It's not nuclear physics.
Jun '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
Peter, Google Translate seems to translate the Dutch term very well when spelled correctly. (Het sneeuwt instead of Het sneeut, i.e, snow or snowing as LK points out)
Ok, petty nitpicking complete.
Anyway, the more you depend on government to solve problems, the greater you must accept mediocrity.
Jun '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
When Beijing is hit by a blizzard, millions of Chinese citizens are summoned to clear the city streets with shovels. Now how many able-bodied New Yorkers are on public assistance with nothing to do? Maybe Bloomberg could pass a city ordinance requiring them to own a shovel. I can hear the cries of "slavery!" already. Never mind.
May '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
I saw a TV news piece with an interview of a very angry lady... What was she angry about? She was angry that she had to dig out her own car!! Imagine the temerity of the city government, forcing her to lift a finger!
I have to admit that I kind of agree with the Times piece in some regard though... The people infantilized themselves by asking the government to do it. The only problem is the Times is complicit in said infantilizing, and is actually teasing themselves!
May '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
...or maybe they could use some of the $7.49 billion in pension funds to buy shovels for the 14,530 social services workers, the 6,100 environment protection workers, the 12,100 housing authority workers, and the 6,400 hygiene workers.
And what in God's name does a hygiene worker do? Sounds disgusting.
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
Lady Kurobara Only The New York Times can manage to look twee and pompous at the same time. · Dec 31 at 12:24pm
Edited on Dec 31 at 12:38 pm
Well and truly stated.
Edited on Dec 31, 2010 at 2:36pmRe: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
Scott Reusser
And what in God's name does a hygiene worker do? Sounds disgusting. · Dec 31 at 2:28pm
Would you do me a favor in 2011, Scott? Remain completely yourself.
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
Snow falls, and to clear it someone must expend resources. If government does it, it either gets the resources from you by compulsory shoveling or by compulsory payment of the medium of exchange (taxes.) I word that to be a difference in degree rather than in kind. Is it?
Further, suppose we allow voluntary organization of groups to clear snow (private roads do this.) It now snows 2 feet, and the volunteers say "The snow!" and ask for more money to do quickly, else you wait for a few days. The difference between this and the previous paragraph is...?
As Chief Justice Marshall observed, "the power to tax involves the power to destroy." It is only when you have a fiscal constitution ("the writ of government" -- very good Peter!) is the latter power held in check. Is there one in New York City? I wonder.
Jun '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
I was on the phone the other day with a customer service rep from Canon' s Virginia call center who asked me about our NJ/NY snow situation. I mentioned how angry people in Manhattan were about Bloomberg sticking his nose into their salt & transfat intake while proving he is unable to handle the necessary infrastructure jobs for which people need his involvement. The rep said, "Well, I can't disagree. I take the Jeffersonian view...."
Added bonus --- he handled my camera problem quite efficiently.
Jun '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
King Banaian
Snow falls, and to clear it someone must expend resources. If government does it, it either gets the resources from you by compulsory shoveling or by compulsory payment of the medium of exchange (taxes.) I word that to be a difference in degree rather than in kind. Is it?
"He who works not, eats not:" Old Hebrew Proverb. I have no problem with compulsory service for the welfare class. Taxpayers should get something for their money other than generational dependency. It will happen anyway in the socialist utopia when Mary Poppins rips away the mask to reveal Nurse Ratched with a whip and a cattle prod.
Edited on Dec 31, 2010 at 3:30pmRe: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
~Paules
"He who works not, eats not:" Old Hebrew Proverb.
I always heard it as "no workee no eatee", and it appeared on a few cottages along the New England coast while I was growing up. Odd, it seems to me now something we don't say in polite company, for fear of "blaming the victim".
Aug '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
If the island city of Montreal can handle the task of snow removal, why shouldn't the island city of Manhattan?
The idea that New York taxpayers shouldn't expect so much from their government is just insulting.
May '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
Lady Kurobara
Only The New York Times can manage to look twee and pompous at the same time. · Dec 31 at 12:24pm
I take that as a challenge.
Jul '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
"It is as much a part of New York City 'homelessness' as vagrants and public urination and the stench itself: posthomelessness outrage over the municipal response to said homelessness. One can imagine the very earliest settlers of New Amsterdam railed at their Dutch leaders after homelessness. I have no home! It’s been three days! Kijk naar alle de zwervers!"
Feel free to substitute "healthcare" too.
Dec '10
Re: Snowdrifting, or, the Rightness of Rob Long and the Wrongness of the New York Times
All you guys on the Ricochet podcast are smart, knowledgeable, and witty, but for me Peter articulated it perfectly once again with his "profound" truth, which he generously attributed to co-podcasters: Keeping the streets clear, clean and passable may not always be easy, but we all agree that that, at least, is a legitimate and necessary function of government, unless we go the radical libertarian route. But not only does government screw up the basic services that can't feasibly be provided by others, they want to worm their way into and take over every widening swaths of the economy and our lives. It's this willful, blind stupidity that makes us legitimately enraged at the Bloombergs, Berwicks and Obamas at all levels of government. Well put Peter!