Friends,
What would FDR do?
Many of us admire Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Democratic Party for the great accomplishments of the 1930s and 40s when they reimagined and remade America amid the Depression and WWII.
FDR would remind us: “taxes, after all, are the dues that we pay for the privileges of membership in organized society.” The progress recovering from the Depression and winning WWII depended upon financial wherewithal.
The same is true locally. We need financial resources to tackle our problems. (And remember our very conservative state government has low per capita state and local public investment compared nationally, with the USA as a whole itself having low public investments compared to other advanced countries.)
I think FDR would applaud several recent local decisions:
Our 2016 public safety local income tax supporting police and fire services
Our 2018 Bicentennial $10 million bonds to build 4 new trails and plant hundreds of trees
Our 2022 $10 million bonds (planned for every five years) to maintain and improve parks and sidewalks and side paths.
Our 2022 economic development local income tax ($16 million annually) to expand transit, affordable housing, climate responses, and equity, and support outstanding public servants across all city government.
And friends I believe FDR would support three more important steps locally:
Pass a critical MCCSC school referendum to fund pre-school for all 4-year-olds and income-constrained 3-year-olds in our community. (Plus cover fees that can deter opportunity, for materials and certifications and qualifying exams)
Allocate millions of one-time dollars (federal and local) in the 2024 city budget to make Bloomington more equitable, affordable, and sustainable
Commit to significant new local public health investments, so that as we invest in needed new county jail facilities and programs, we also commit at least as much to new supports for mental health, addiction, and other services that help our neighbors avoid the criminal justice system altogether
Great opportunities lie ahead. We should continue our momentum of making wise, focused public investments that help our community thrive and improve equity. (For a powerful, accessible survey of how important smart public investments are historically and globally, check out Thomas Piketty’s A Brief History of Equality, a great read I highly recommend.)
While much of national and state politics seems intractable or worse, lean into the practical work of improving lives – that’s what President Biden and Vice President Harris have been doing to great effect nationally. And what we’ve been doing locally. Thanks for all you do to keep our eyes on that prize, a constantly improving Bloomington, day by day and step by step.
Democratically yours,
John Hamilton
P.S. FDR made a striking pronouncement during WWII: “In these days, when every available dollar should go to the war effort, I do not think that any American citizen should have a net income in excess of $25,000 per year after payment of taxes.” That’s about $500k in today’s dollars. What a bold call! Should not today’s climate emergency and equity needs awake similar sentiments to focus our collective resources on addressing existential threats?