[Mpls] SW Schools Escape Closure

[Michael Atherton]

Robert P. Goldman wrote:

> I didn't act to close schools in other parts of the city.  It wasn't
> my idea to close those schools.  I acted to save my neighborhood
> school.  I don't think it's productive to turn this into a SW versus
> the rest of the city issue, but the damage is probably already done.
... 
> To get back to the issue of SW versus the rest of the city: Saying
> that this is SW versus the rest of the city is like pointing a gun at
> a group of people, saying that the group must choose one to die, and
> then blaming the group, rather than the guy with the gun, for the
> outcome.

Sometimes inaction or action that is limited in scope does not
negate a person's responsibility for social injustice on a larger
scale. Would it have been possible to have advocated for a 
solution that would have been more equitable or have been more
likely to enhance the General Welfare rather than enhancing
strictly local benefits?  I think so.  It's one thing to adhere 
to a political philosophy that promotes individual gain over social
responsibility (as some Republicans do) and quite another to advocate
for global social progress, but then ignore the wider impact on 
one's fellow citizens when lobbying for your own family. It's not
surprising choice, I just think that it's inconsistent with the Left's 
self-righteous advocacy for social justice. From what I have seen here
in Minneapolis, liberal politics is much more about Meism than most 
people are willing to admit.  

Michael Atherton
Prospect Park