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If you read my post last March about the first blind man to become governor of New York, you know I’m a David Paterson fan. So when Saturday Night Live decided to do a skit a few weeks ago making fun of Governor Paterson’s blindness, I was disappointed.
A confession: I suffer “delusions of grandeur.” I assume someone is watching (or staring at) – Hanni and me when we are out and about, just waiting for us to make a mistake. It can unnerve me.
When David Paterson became governor, I was hoping his success would help boost my confidence. I hoped people would just get used to him, you know, get over the easy Mr. Magoo jokes. So The Saturday Night Live skit made me sad.
But then the editorial in yesterday’s NY Timesabout Paterson’s State of the State address made me very happy. the editorial praised Paterson for his compelling ideas.
Mr. Paterson also spoke at length about health care. One important proposal would allow employees to expand private health care coverage to dependents up
to age 29, a quick way of providing health coverage for an age group that is notoriously underinsured.Given the power of the food and soft-drink lobbies in Albany, Mr. Paterson set himself a daunting challenge by pledging to fight the alarming rate of diabetes, especially among the young. To combat obesity, he would expand statewide some of most successful changes made by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in New York City, including a ban on trans fats and the requirement that chain restaurants post calorie counts. The governor also wants a surcharge on sugary drinks, a statewide ban on junk foods in schools and a better way of getting healthier foods or green markets in poorer areas.
The editorial didn’t mention Paterson’s blindness at all. It didn’t marvel at how he gives speeches without reading notes, and it didn’t joke about him finding his way to the podium. It simply praised Paterson for his compelling ideas. With all the meaty stuff going on in the world, and so much to parody and ridicule, it was hard to understand why a show that can be so clever with political satire took such easy and (sadly) predictable shots at Governor Paterson. Especially after we Illinoisans have given them a governor who provides more material than they’ll ever be able to use in one TV season.
I saw the skit on SNL, and it made me sad also. And disappointed. Thank you for sharing the NY Times editorial about David Paterson’s proposals. I’m optimistic that his ideas will ultimately make their way across the country, benefiting all of us.
Thanks for your thoughtful response, Laurie. I wonder what your Long Island relatives think of their governor? When I was out there in Spring I learned that the Paterson family had been living in Brooklyn when David was born, but when he started school the public schools in Brooklyn refused to take him, they wanted him to go to special schools for the blind. So the family moved to Long Island, where he attended regular public schools. Long Island should be proud.
I don’t have any relatives left on Long Island; only Ray’s 95 year-old mom is still there (I guess I should consider her my relative, too, after all these years). We’ll have to ask her if she’s familiar with her governor. I can certainly think of a couple my relatives who are no longer with us – but would have loved him…my liberal uncle and his hearing-impaired wife. I miss them, but as we approach Obama’s Inauguration, I think of them often with fond memories of their lively debates with my not-so-liberal relatives. Uncle Stan and Aunt Trudy gave me tremendous joy when I was a child.
Wow. Had no idea you had an aunt who had a hearing impairment. VERY interesting —
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