Watching the weather news as storms pound the East. Now cut to the officials doing their updates. Governors and mayors thank brave, even heroic, civil servants; mayors thank the governors; wow! now a governor is thanking another governor. Everyone thanks high-ranking bureaucrats who are their bosses or appointees.
Here’s a script these folks might add to their thank yous—one that spreads credit and appreciation to a contstituency whose self-sacrifice, intelligence, and civic-mindedness is often ignored:
“I’d like to thank the generous and wise taxpayers of this state who have seen fit to provide the resources that fund the state’s crisis-response infrastructure—to pay the employee overtime, buy the trucks, train the workers, and so forth. Thanks in particular to the residents of the state who typically don’t, themselves, face storm crises or extreme inconvenience, but who nevertheless understand that the ties of social and material infrastructures are only as strong as their most vulnerable knots.
“Please keep in mind your key role as protectors of the common good during this and future crises. Oh, and also keep in mind this role the next time our public response to social threats and ills falls short. Give some responsibility to your the leaders, but back up your demand for high-quality and equitable public services with resources.”