novelnext Chapter 26 The Nature of Power
Chapter 26 The Nature of Power
Leo sat at the dusty desk.
He has been in office for three days.
Over the next three days, he went through all the old reports piled up in his office.
The titles of those reports were all very similar.
Feasibility Study on the Transformation of the Industrial Zone on the South Bank of the Mononga Hilla River.
Preliminary Ideas for Community Revitalization in Pittsburgh's East Free Zone.
Suggestions on developing urban tourism routes using abandoned railways.
Each report was written in great detail and was filled with beautiful visions.
But at the end of each report, an approval document from the Municipal Finance Bureau was attached.
The content above is all the same.
"The project concept is good, but given the city's tight budget, it will not be considered at this time."
Leo threw the last report back into the cabinet.
During these three days, no one came to see him, and no new documents required his signature.
His only job is to go to work and leave work on time every day.
His secretary, Gloria, would make him a cup of coffee every day, but the coffee was so weak it tasted like dishwater.
Leo felt a sense of frustration.
He began to doubt whether his initial choice had truly been a mistake.
"Mr. President, I feel like we're trapped," he said. "This committee has nothing."
Roosevelt's voice echoed in his mind, his tone serious.
"You're right, son. So now, it's time for you to understand the nature of power."
"Remember, Leo, power isn't the title printed on your business card, nor is it the size of your office or the view from your window."
"Power is the ability to legally, effectively, and unhinderedly control resources. Specifically, resources consist of three things: money, personnel, and information."
"Take another look at the committee you're on now."
"Mayor Cartwright doesn't give it a single penny of special funding, so it has no money."
"He transferred all the capable staff away, leaving only a secretary waiting to retire, so it was short-staffed."
"All important meetings and documents from the city hall are not copied here, so it has no information."
"An institution that cannot control any resources naturally becomes an empty shell."
"And the first thing we need to do is to load this empty ammunition depot with our own first shell."
Leo's spirits were lifted.
"You said we could bypass the city government and apply for funding directly from the federal government."
"Yes, that's true in theory," Roosevelt said. "But you must understand that Washington's money doesn't just fall from the sky."
"There are hundreds of Rust Belt cities like Pittsburgh across the United States, and every city's mayor and council members are trying to get money out of the federal government. Every year, they send their most professional lobbying teams to Capitol Hill, the White House, and the offices of various federal agencies to plead poverty."
In Leo's mind, an image of the Capitol Hill in Washington appeared.
Lobbies dressed in expensive suits, representing the interests of major cities, are moving between the offices of legislators, submitting beautifully worded reports, and attending lavish dinners.
"Now tell me, Leo," Roosevelt's voice turned serious, "why did those members of Congress who hold the power to approve the budget, and those bureaucrats at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, bypass the elected mayor of Pittsburgh and allocate a significant amount of funding from his district to an executive committee member they'd never even heard of, whose annual salary is only $33,500?"
This question left Leo speechless.
He knew it was impossible.
He had no political capital, no connections; he was nobody in Washington.
"Don't be discouraged," Roosevelt said. "We're not worthless either. We have a card they desperately need. Do you know what the most valuable thing you gained in that battle at the community center was?"
Leo thought for a moment.
"Is it public opinion?"
"That's right, it's public opinion."
Roosevelt began to guide Leo, reviewing the resources he now possessed.
"Your YouTube channel, 'Heart of Pittsburgh,' is now one of the most trusted voices among the working class throughout western Pennsylvania."
"The workers don't believe a word the mainstream media reporters and politicians say. But they believe you because you've won a visible battle for them."
"You represent the most ignored voice in this country right now. Your support or your opposition is worth a fortune to some politicians in Washington."
"This is our first card."
"The second card is hidden in your most familiar area."
Roosevelt guided Leo to turn on the computer and access a vast federal legal database.
"Type a name into the search box: National Industrial Recovery Act."
Leo immediately found the bill.
This was a highly controversial bill during Roosevelt's New Deal era.
It granted the federal government unprecedented power to intervene in and coordinate industrial production across the country.
"I know about this bill," Leo said. "The main part of it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1935."
"Yes, the main body has been repealed," Roosevelt said. "But any large bill will have many supplementary provisions and subsidiary rules. They are like the root system of a tree, intricate and complex. Although the trunk has been cut off, many roots are still buried deep in the soil, forgotten by people."
"Now, find the supplementary clauses in this bill regarding 'supporting communities of workers in key strategic industries'."
Following the instructions, Leo searched through the complex legal texts.
Finally, he found that long-forgotten text.
That was a temporary supplementary clause added before the bill was repealed, to appease the working communities that had made significant contributions to the defense industry.
The provisions stipulate that the federal government has a responsibility to provide necessary funding and policy support to communities that were once key strategic industrial bases for the country but are now in decline due to economic restructuring, in order to help them complete community transformation and the protection of their historical heritage.
"This law, over the decades that followed, underwent numerous amendments and reauthorizations by Congress, becoming increasingly complex and neglected," Roosevelt explained. "It was like an old gun hidden in the Pentagon's armory; everyone forgot it existed, but it could still be legally fired."
"Pittsburgh, as the former heart of the American steel industry, fully meets all the prerequisites defined by this law."
As Leo looked at the bill clauses on the screen that had been sealed away for nearly a century, hope was rekindled in his heart.
Roosevelt pointed out specific directions for Leo.
"Our goal is to apply to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a federal special fund called 'Historic Conservation and Transformation of Heritage Industrial Communities' based on the aforementioned legislation."
"But," Roosevelt reminded him, "finding a legal basis is only the first step in our battle. Next, you will face a Washington bureaucratic labyrinth that is a hundred times more complex than City Hall."
"Moreover, you'll be facing a species that's a hundred times more troublesome than Alan Wechsler."
"What?"
"Members of Congress"
Roosevelt's voice carried a hint of sarcasm.
"You can't get money with just one application report. You need an ally on Capitol Hill who's willing to speak up for you and fight for your interests. And to get that kind of ally, you have to show them that cooperating with you is good enough for their own political future."
"Ready, Leo."
"We're about to begin."