More than most people, I have a lot of reasons to love the city. You know, it gave me my life, it gave me my career, it gave my parents and my brothers and sisters all a way to live, and didn't do it just for me. It did it for millions and millions and millions of people who took what they got here, and some of them moved and went out west, or to Florida or other places.

But exactly because of that, you have the obligation to make sure with whatever little, small talent you have, as a writer, for example, and I think as a politician should have that sense of responsibility too, to not cheapen or coarsen the thing that happened to us, to make sure we understand that it had enormous power and can be turned into something with enormous value and that we can make this a city that, it's even better than it's ever been. That we can, that we can say to whatever poor kid shows up in a bus from Mexico, age 16, having slept all the way in the bus, come on, you can work here, this is your place too, and be able to say that with conviction and mean it and do something about it. Let him in the schools and let him learn something. If we do that, we're honoring all the people that got us here, going back to the Dutch. They helped us get here in some crazy, convoluted, bizarre narrative. They got us all here. We are them. And we'd better honor that. If we dishonor that, if we turn into a nasty city of rejection, we'll have failed ourselves and dishonored ourselves. We've got to keep that going. That has to be our reason for being here.