In national politics, bipartisan support has become as rare as a pollen-free spring day. While across-the-aisle efforts happen more often in Georgia at the state and local levels, my eye was drawn to the news conference last week announcing the opening of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.
Atlanta Democratic Mayor Andre Dickens and Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp shared both the stage and support for the effort. It was a rare but powerful moment of shared understanding of the core desires for our city. The bumper stickers and social media posts among my friends might differ wildly, but I’d imagine that many of the things they expect as they navigate their day to day are more alike than they would admit. We might have some different ideas about how to get there, but safety is important to us all.
Whatever your view of the role of government — and the last few years have highlighted there are very different perspectives — there is a near universal understanding that there are some things you rely on the government to do. You don’t have to know the philosophical writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau to understand that we, as citizens, give up certain freedoms and rights — we agree to be taxed or to follow the government’s laws — in order to have the protections that we might not be able to provide ourselves or the provisions for the collective good that we might not be able to afford independently.
Atlanta police and firefighters will train together for first time in decades
Roads and highways are clear examples of this. There is an expectation that when we leave to go somewhere, there will be a road and that road will be relatively safe to drive down (though I might need to keep some savings set aside for tire repairs from the many Atlanta potholes). Likewise, I have some degree of trust that when an emergency happens I might call my friends and family or even my private insurance to help with the aftermath, but in the thick of it, I would call 911 and rely, at least in some part, on a speedy resolution by the police, EMS or fire department…