What Does Ted Cruz Mean By "New York Values?"

Let me start by saying that I am by no means a Donald Trump supporter. But back in January, when Ted Cruz criticized The Donald’s “New York” values, I was completely enraged. And I was also pleased with the usually bombastic and vocabulary-challenged Mr. Trump’s response.

I thought to myself, What does he mean by New York values? We have plenty of problems here in New York: homelessness, struggling schools, aging infrastructure, bureaucracy, and racial tension. But these problems aren’t exclusive to our fair city. Nor do I think they are a reflection of our values as New Yorkers.

My husband and I are lifelong New Yorkers and these are the values we have: We love each other and our children very much. We want the best for our kids. We want them to get good jobs and have families of their own. We want them to stay out of trouble and away from drugs and unhinged people with guns. We take care of our home. We try to be good neighbors. We volunteer in our community. We pay our taxes. We vote. And, surprise, surprise, we even go to church.

And we learned these values from our parents. My father-in-law came to New York as a young boy with his father, all the way from Toisan, China, leaving his homeland forever. He went to Stuyvesant High School and City College, served proudly in WWII, met a beautiful Chinese woman from Jamaica, WI, and settled with her in the Bronx. They struggled mightily but they did a fine job of raising two sons who, in turn, worked hard enough to get into Ivy League schools. And though they didn’t live in Chinatown, they visited frequently so their sons didn’t lose sight of their heritage. That’s the beauty of a city like New York: you can find the American dream here without having to lose your identity.

My parents, children of Italian immigrants, also worked hard to provide us with parochial school educations, lots of food on the table, a fun childhood, and the aspiration that we could have more than they did (i.e. to own our own homes). I notice that Mr. Cruz likes to mention Jesus a lot. Well I was raised by two Catholic Brooklynites who taught us by example, more so than with words, what it meant to be Christian. They taught us to love and respect each other and our neighbors and those included two same-sex couples who lived on our block and were as devoted to each other as much as my parents were.

My New York values allow me to look at people perhaps more welcomingly than people from homogenous small towns. My Catholic grammar school accepted a Muslim student into my class because her parents wanted a parochial education but there were no Muslim schools within the neighborhood back then. She was one of my earliest friends. One of my best friends who I worked with for over twenty years is African-American and another very dear friend is a Hasidic Jew. Both have shown me unforgettable kindness. We may all be different but we are more alike than you might think and possibly our biggest commonality is that we are all New Yorkers.

Now New Yorkers don’t fit into a mold. We are a diverse bunch. But what I know about New Yorkers as a whole is that we work hard and foster a palpable pride in our city. We are rightfully proud because we have the world at our fingertips without having to travel anywhere. We have stadiums, arenas, museums, Broadway, concerts, restaurants galore, multiple ethnic enclaves, and even some beautiful natural habitats. People still come from all over the world for a chance to live and work here.

And let’s never forget those New Yorkers (and non-New Yorkers) who perished on 9/11 and all those New Yorkers who went back to work the next day, some, like my brother, sifting through rubble for body parts, others, like me, just going back to their offices, and still others who went on to rebuild what had fallen down.

If Mr. Cruz has a problem with New Yorkers because we talk fast, walk fast, strive to be successful, feel proud of who we are, and, yes, are liberal in our views, maybe he should save himself the trouble of campaigning here. As the Kander and Ebb song goes, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” I don’t think Mr. Cruz has what it takes to make it here or to the White House either. I hope he gets the message loud and clear.