Business of Life

The American Talent

Sissy Willis posts today about Bringing people together for the common good.

You've heard about the New England flood of 2006, the worst in 70 years with towns flooded, people evacuated, and old dams strained to the bursting point. and sewage running raw into the river every day.

Well, Sissy applauded our local cable channel (New England Cable News) for its coverage that has completely outstripped the local broadcast stations and now brings news of their Help Your Neighbor campaign. NECN is hosting free and discounted offers to help people clean up on its Help Your Neighbor blog.

She quotes a speech by the President last year on America's talent, "In a free society, the public good depends on private character" citing de Tocqueville's notion that the secret to America's success was our talent of bringing people together for the common good.

I often noted this talent in the past and of course I quoted de Tocqueville who remarked in 1983 that at the head of any new undertaking, you would find the government in France, a great lord in England and an association in America in Working Together on Borrowed Time.

In the end, everything is local and helping neighbors is the way to reinforce and practice our very American talent.