Hurricane Sandy has landed in New York and New Jersey. Amid the destruction some very positive things have emerged. Andrew Cuomo, Michael Bloomberg, Chris Christie and Barack Obama once more showed us that public servants work for the public. The governors and the mayor marshaled the forces at their disposal and got out in front of the storm with warnings and evacuations. They are working tirelessly to help their citizens come back from the devastation which will take a long time. The President has visited the area and is bringing the full resources of his office to provide what the states need. It is nice to see politicians of different parties forget the rancorous verbal jousting and concentrate on getting something done for the public. The national debate has been hijacked by blithering idiots like Grover Norquist, Glenn Beck and the like who would have you believe the secret to happiness is carrying a gun and shutting down the Federal Government.  For the love of God just shut up!

Better people are better. That silly little expression is what we tell ourselves when we look to hire a new employee. If you appoint an incompetent like Michael Brown to head FEMA you will be unable to get a 12 oz bottle of water delivered to a major American city short of 4 days. Likewise if you appoint a failed congressman like Christopher Cox to head the SEC Wall Street will drive the banking system off a cliff  fueled by greed. Pop quiz: Who is currently head of FEMA? Answer: nobody knows and that is how it should be, because when it works correctly we do not need to know.

The impact of the storm is enormous in the tri-state area. One of the great things about people is their willingness to help their neighbors. They just show up with a broom or chain saw and with a brief nod pitch right in. I believe this is true in all disasters in the country regardless of the region and it doesn't matter what your religion or politics are, it is just people helping people. We need leaders who will focus on this aspect of our national character and not seek to exploit petty differences.