Politics For The People, Not Against
New York an example of state government listening to constituents. Will Illinois do the same?
Illinois is not the lone state living in a parallel universe as it pertains to Covid.
New York is under the same Draconian lockdowns as Illinois. The state employs an egocentric governor arguably the most responsible for the initial mass death hysteria in the origins of Covid.
With youth sports, no football was played last fall in New York, and basketball season is on pause.
New York operates with a ‘risk labeling’ public health model, just as Illinois.
It classifies sports under ‘lower risk’, ‘moderate risk’ and ‘higher risk’. This is an extra layer of bureaucracy that further obstructs return to play.
Illinois operates in the same fashion, using ‘tiers’ and ‘mitigations’ and ‘labels’ as a barriers to entry for normalcy. Health and safety has nothing to do with it anymore. It’s all about power, control, and the enabling of monocracy.
But there’s been a significant development in New York this week. A movement that has yet to reach the same level of influence in Illinois and makes New York more likely to overthrow the authority of Cuomo than Illinois of Pritzker’s.
I’ve noticed an uptick of activity on social media since last Friday. More #HearOurVoiceIllinois videos. More calls to contact state legislators and superintendents.
I wrote about this last week, about cracking The Code. It’s the only way forward for school-sponsored sports. But thus far, The Code remains intact. No state rep or Chicagoland superintendent has openly defied Pritzker. What is said privately behind closed doors has no impact. A public display of disobedience from those in power can move the needle.
In that, the powerful speaking out, is where New York and Illinois diverge.
The football coach at Mahopec High School in New York state, Dominick DeMatteo, observed what was going on in his state.
There had been no football in the fall. Although the sport was pushed to the ‘spring’ season, state officials were silent in specifics as the calendar flipped to 2021. Other ‘higher-risk’ sports, such as basketball, were on pause waiting for instruction from Gov. Cuomo (sound familiar?)
DeMatteo recruited an ally, a Mahopec board of education member who also happened to work as a staffer in the New York State Senate. They hatched a plan of attack that included a flood of emails, letters and calls to local representatives.
DeMatteo said this to the Rockland Westchester Journal News:
We can get upset. We can rail on all we want, tag Gov. Cuomo, (NYSPHSAA executive director) Robert Zayas, and all these people, but it's fallen on deaf ears. The plan is to reach out to our New York State representatives as student-athletes, as parents, as coaches, and as community members. We are their constituents and they need to listen to us.
The framework they created provided a template for other communities to get involved. It didn’t take long before other state conferences and associations joined in.
Another quote from DeMatteo to the RWJN:
We have to go to them so that they can hopefully go to the governor's office through whatever relationships they have, whatever protocols, and whatever committees they're on. They need to go fight this fight for us, because no one else can. That's been proven. We're getting ready to push a year of this. It's really, really bad, and we need to advocate. It's time to advocate.
That advocation is being heard and reciprocated.
Monday, three New York state senators issued a joint statement, asking Cuomo for the resumption of sports seasons.
Governor Cuomo focused his State of the State message this week on the need for reopening our local economies and to start getting the lives of New Yorkers as back to normal as possible now. For New York State’s high school student-athletes and their families, coaches, and entire school communities, that means to let sports seasons get started. We are confident that the Cuomo administration, working in close partnership with local education and health officials, have the capacity to ensure this safe return of these student-athletes, the sooner the better.
Also Monday, state assemblyman, Michael Fitzpatrick, went on a cable news show and threw his support behind the re-starting sports.
And late Tuesday, another New York assemblywoman said she was sponsoring legislation urging permission be granted for sports to be played. What’s interesting about New York is how legislators are doing more than just asking for sports to come back. They are openly criticizing the public health methodology used by Cuomo and his public health servants.
New York Assemblyman Edward Ra said this to Newsday about proposed legislation that would activate youth sports:
The easier and quicker way would be, obviously, for updated directives and guidance to come from the governor’s office. The legislative process, I always say, can take as long or as short as the people that are in power to move it…if the majority in the legislature wanted to move something like this, it can more rather quickly.
We haven’t had really much information in what has come out of (the Governor’s office). They had put out their categorizations of different sports, but I think the biggest change since (classifying) high-moderate-low risk is that many states throughout the country have had seasons in different sports. I believe about 34 states have been playing sports…in other states there does not seem to be a ton of data that’s suggesting that the virus is being spread in those settings.
How refreshing would it be to hear such a comment from an Illinois congressman?
Or how about a school superintendent say something similar to what Laura Curran, an executive in the Nassau County school system, said to Newsday:
Structured time under supervision is a very safe place for kids to be—we see that with schools. I think sports supplies really important physical activity, mental activity and social activity. And when it’s done under supervision, we know that the safety guidelines will be followed. I am 100% for that.
How hard would that be, to say that sports can help the physical and mental well being of young people?
Or to cite how almost every other state is learning to co-exist with Covid, rather than hide under the covers until the virus is extinct? (Guess what…the virus isn’t going anywhere).
As of this writing, it’s still too hard for Illinois state and local politicians. And Chicagoland superintendents.
There is no question #HearOurVoiceIllinois movement is robust and getting stronger by the day.
But for Illinois to do as New York is doing—introducing legislation to get kids back on the field—those in power must act.
And act now.