The Wisconsin State Journal is to be congratulated on a well written, interesting and comprehensive four part series on Madison’s economy and how it needs to plan for the future. It graphically depicts how the city of Madison is changing and suggests six important things that the city can do to create more jobs and protect the quality of life.
When I try to distill the essence of this series, however, I have to say that in none of the four part series was the Journal’s laissez faire philosophy or bias far from the page. Nor were its conclusions very different from their almost daily editorial sermons. The City of Madison must have “a new relationship between the Council’s political left and business.” Is there anyone in Madison who hasn’t heard this mantra?
There was certainly no surprise here! This, in spite of the fact however that the Journal’s extensive investigation could find absolutely no evidence that the Council’s political left had actually significantly hurt Madison business one iota.
Implicit throughout but less so in the series’ conclusions, was the meta message that Madison citizens should keep it’s hands off the business community regardless of how dirty or how clean, or how tall or how wide, or how big or how powerful it might choose to grow.
Fortunately, in spite of this bias the Journal research also found that Madison’s democracy is vibrant and strong, even if at times, to the chagrin business and the Journal. From this series, the citizens of Madison can take a deep and rewarding breath and celebrate that this study also found that its many neighborhood associations are thriving and healthy. The famous nineteenth century observer of American life, Alexis de Tocqueville, if he could visit our city today, would find that Madison’s civic pride and industry is also very strong and getting more powerful!
Most respectfully,
William R. Benedict
