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<br />[I <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Council Meeting Minutes <br />January 28, 1992 <br /> <br />Page 3 <br /> <br />50ecial Order of Business. continued <br /> <br />That brings us back to the question of what's happening in the world <br />around us and whether or not we'll get the leadership we need from our <br />President and Congress. <br /> <br />As we focus momentarily on that broad. international picture. one can <br />only say, in Halsey Hall's immortal words "Holy Cow" what a time of <br />change! <br /> <br />Twelve months ago we were basking in the afterglow of the Berlin Wall <br />coming down, the reunification of the two Germanies and the visit of <br />Gorbachev. Who doesn't remember the hope we all enjoyed that the cold <br />war and nuclear threats were history. Then. just one year ago, we faced <br />the cold, harsh reality of a new war. Our friends. neighbors and family <br />were engaged in another hostile confrontation. Our ringside seats via <br />CNN gave us unprecedented home front experiences. Thankfully, the war <br />was short and the predicted environmental holocaust did not last as long <br />as we feared it would. But we're still counting the casualties. <br /> <br />As mercifully short as it was, the Kuwait invasion exposed a greater <br />national problem. Our foreign affairs and obligations seem to be much <br />more manageable than our domestic issues. Many are suggesting we <br />should commit the same level of energy and resources to our homefront <br />problems as we seem to be willing to support on the international front. <br />agree. Now that there are opportunities to downsize our defense <br />commitment, we should commit ourselves to reinforcing our future <br />generations by addressing long debated social problems of homelessness, <br />child abuse, education, safety and health care. <br /> <br />Some might ask why a suburban mayor. council and staff should be <br />concerned about social issues seemingly beyond our control and <br />responsibility. My response is these issues affect everything we do in our <br />City. Our boundaries exist only on paper. They are not barriers to <br />criminals, our families are not unique. They suffer the same pressures of <br />unemployment, the same lures of drug and alcohol abuse, the same <br />threats of child and spouse abuse. so frequently seen in the evening <br />newscasts. The world around us cries out for attention. As elected <br />representatives of our residents, I believe we have an obligation to share <br />results of our experience. In truth, our experience shows that our police <br />officers serve on the front lines of our domestic battles. Our parks staff <br />provide positive experiences that are alternative stress outlets for many <br />families. <br /> <br />Our community development and public works departments help create <br />positive, comfortable and enjoyable living environment. Our success in <br />providing effective city services is in fact largely influenced by the events <br />and circumstances beyond our control and beyond our boundaries. We <br />must speak out. If we don't, who will? Perhaps our emphasis on <br />maintaining a broader perspective of our world is the strength that unites <br />this Council and staff as we face 1992. We're faced with another State <br />budget crisis that must be resolved in a partisan election year. <br /> <br />Special Order of <br />Business <br /> <br />State of the City <br />Address <br />