[ by Larry Goldfarb ]

I was walking down the street with a friend yesterday and she told how the way NYC has come together, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, has made her proud to be a New Yorker.  Of course I want to believe her statement is true and omnipresent, but I know of two instances that make my blood boil and cause me sadness. 

The most egregious is a tale of a mother and two little boys.  They were stuck on Staten Island in their SUV in the midst of a flood.  She was stranded in front of a house and rang the doorbell to ask for assistance.  The mother was carrying one child and holding the hand of another.  She was told to go away.  On her way back to the car, a wave of water, mind you from NY harbor, crashed into her and separated her from her two sons.  They were found dead yesterday.  (I have few tears in my eyes as I write this.)

Also yesterday, a friend of mine was meeting someone in a luxury high rise in NYC.  When she was announced, she was diverted to the service elevator.  The woman was Filipino. 

With all due respect to capitalism, private property, small government and all, I find the two stories abhorrent.  Do you?