My favorite political story this year happened this summer in NYC. The Mamdani Administration offered 300 families a Parents’ Night Out. Parents who signed up received a few hours of childcare, and kids got a fun night at their neighborhood rec center. The press release includes this quote, which is gold: “I want to go back up and do more!” — said Wyatt, age 6, who arrived crying and initially did not want to stay.
I love this idea for a few reasons. It taps into existing infrastructure that NYC already has, giving exhausted parents a few hours of relief. A few hours of childcare is such a gift, especially with young kids. It can also boost the local economy, since most parents probably went out to dinner or had a drink. A citywide parents’ night out is something governments can and should do for the people they serve.
This year I’ve been thinking a lot about governing and the political slogan Bread and Roses. The idea that feeding people isn’t enough. We deserve beauty, comfort, and dignity, and government can and should help provide them. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s inauguration speech from earlier this year echoed that theme and resonated deeply with me.
Wilson:
I want to live in a city that honors the things you do when you’re not making money. (I’m not talking about watching Netflix.) I mean the time that you spend with your kid at the playground, caring for a sick friend or an elderly relative. I want to live in a city that celebrates the labor that people perform voluntarily, like a transit fairy who spends all day cleaning up bus stops even though no one is paying her to do it. A city that values the pursuits that create beauty and community, whether or not they ever turn into careers. A city that thinks you should have time to read a book and lay on the grass staring up at the clouds.
Because we need bread, but we need roses too. We deserve roses.
A parents’ night out is a good example of roses. Another is the Mamdani Administration’s ongoing efforts to give New Yorkers access to free or discounted tickets to cultural and sports events in their own backyard. NYC isn’t the only city doing things like this. Mayor Wilson has made similar efforts with access to events like World Cup matches. Several cities and states offer discounted or free museum and park tickets. And that’s in addition to public facility third spaces most cities and localities offer, like pools, rec centers, and libraries.
These days, my life involves a lot of bread and roses at the micro level. As I’ve gone through treatment, our family and friends have made sure we’re fed via a meal train and helped with things like logistics and paperwork. They’ve also sent flowers, books, coffee mugs, toys for my kids, and other items solely for comfort and joy. We even had a family friend drop my boys off at a local parents’ night out so that my husband and I could have some time together. Organizations that help breast cancer patients offer a similar mix of meeting needs and providing nice things. The necessities are of course a must, but survival for survival’s sake isn’t enough. The comforts are just as important.
We’re nine days out from election day. Assuming Democrats do well, the next Congress will have a lot on its plate. Starting with holding the criminals currently running our government and the billionaires attempting to buy up every aspect of our lives accountable. All while creating friction anywhere and everywhere to stop the Trump Regime wherever it can. State and local leaders will have similar levels of cleanup from all the damage the Regime has done to our communities.
Holding the Trump Regime accountable and checking its power isn’t enough. Americans can and should demand more from our leaders. We deserve essential services, but we also deserve nice things. We deserve both bread and roses.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
We deserve nice things, and CARD runs on you.
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ICYMI
How Flock’s Cameras Spread Through Government Deals That Bypassed Public Scrutiny (NBC News)
Accident Or Not, The No Kings Takedown Is Why You Shouldn’t Rent Your Megaphone From Zuck (TechDirt)
Report: Enemies of the State. NSPM-7 and the Trump Plan to Crush Dissent (Free Press)
Trump Appointees Asked a Federal Cybersecurity Agency to Secretly Acquire a Voting Machine — and Hack It (ProPublica)
Coda
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This week’s joy has some NSFW language, but Cardi B’s NPR Tiny Desk concert is incredible. I enjoyed it and recommend it if you need a quick shot of joy yourself.
That’s all for me this week. We’ll talk again next Sunday!