Russell Moore: Michael Milken, Buddy Cianci, and Redemption
Monday, October 13, 2014
You'd never knowing it reading the editorial pages of The Providence Journal, (and, more increasingly, the news pages) but there is a such thing as redemption.
Or, perhaps if one looks past the endless editorials which point out that Cianci is a convicted felon and the mention in every single news story and column, (at this point, is there really a single Journal reader who doesn't know about Cianci's past?), and reads some of their other news stories, readers can see the possibility or people to turn around their checkered pasts and right those wrongs.
Oh, the irony
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThat's the thought crossed my mind as I was perusing twitter on Thursday and saw a tweet from none other than the Providence Journal, plugging a story about a Foster Public School Teacher who had earned the state's latest Milken Educator Award. The Milken Educator Award is given to teachers in all 50 states every year, and carries a prize of $25,000 to the winning teacher. Obviously, the teacher in question, Reading Specialist Erin F. Quinlan, deserves kudos for being an excellent teacher and positive stories such as that make for excellent, uplifting reading.
But I couldn't help but notice some irony floating right below the surface level. Michael Milken, a legendary Wall Street investor who is credited with the creation of high yield bonds, commonly referred to as "junk bonds", is a convicted felon. There was no mention in the story of that fact, and no insinuation of the fact that the award is somehow tarnished of less worthy.
In fact, Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts, a staunch opponent of Cianci, was quoted in the story. She apparently had no issue that the award was given by a fellow with a checkered past.
Folks can be redeemed
Here's the thing: there shouldn't be. Milken's fantastic philanthropic work, and to a lesser extent, his upending of the financial sector and all the wealth creation that accompanied it, dwarf the wrongdoing to which Milken has been implicated. Milken, for his part, was indicted for racketeering and securities fraud in 1989. In a plea bargain, he pled guilty to securities violations, but the racketeering and securities fraud charges were dropped.
Milken served two years in prison, and upon leaving has shown himself to be a completely rehabilitated, model citizen. He's funded medical research, particularly in the area of cancer, leading Forbes Magazine, in a 2004 article, to refer to Milken as "The Man Who Changed Medicine". A prostate cancer survivor, Milken has funded millions of dollars to raise awareness of the disease, and has partnered with Major League Baseball to further the effort. In addition to prostate cancer, Milken also has funded millions of dollars into skin cancer research as well.
Avoid farcical thinking
Additionally, Milken also created The Milken Institute, which over the last two decades, funded charitable foundations such as education, referenced in the Providence Journal article in question. Milken has funded scores of other charitable endeavors.
Milken is a perfect example of the folly that's entailed in dismissing an individual solely on the basis of past misdeeds. It would've been easy for people to assume that because Milken made some serious mistakes earlier in his career that he was a one-dimensional character who could only do wrong would have been wrongheaded. That kind of black and white thinking rejects the notion of redemption. It's like dismissing Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol offhand as being unrealistic.
Take a second, think about it
It doesn't take much pondering to recognize to the similarities between Milken and Cianci. Both men are undoubtedly talented individuals. Whereas Milken revolutionized the financial industry, Cianci brought about a renaissance in Providence that won the city national acclaim and gave the residents confidence.
The city moved rivers, created Water Fire which is now a regional attraction that boosts tourism, created the Providence Place Mall that brought retail back to Providence, among scores of other initiatives. Also, every day city, services were reliable.
Like Milken, Cianci may very well be able to use his talents to do more good and make up for his past infractions. That question is what Providence voters need to ponder as well as the strength of his vision, policies, and proposals, along with those of his two opponents.
But to dismiss Cianci's candidacy offhand as the Providence Journal's editorial board would suggest would be foolhardy at best. As Milken shows us, humans are complex characters who shouldn't be judged solely on their worst and lowest moments.
A native Rhode Islander, Russell J. Moore is a graduate of Providence College and St. Raphael Academy. He worked as a news reporter for 7 years (2004-2010), 5 of which with The Warwick Beacon, focusing on government. He continues to keep a close eye on the inner workings of Rhode Islands state and local governments. Find Russell J. Moore Twitter @russmoore713.
Related Slideshow: RI Politicians Who Sought Redemption from Misdeeds
Related Articles
- Russell Moore: A Modest Proposal to Governor Chafee
- Russell Moore: Newport Must Embrace Paolino Plan
- Russell Moore: Block and Fung Have GOP Problems
- Russ Moore: Ignore the Rating Agency’s 38 Studios Extortion
- Russ Moore: Chafee, Licht—Poster Boys for Old School Politics
- Russ Moore: Journal Bought by Notorious Cost-Cutter
- Russell Moore: Mattiello Playing it Safe
- Russell Moore: Master Lever is GOP’s Scapegoat
- Russell Moore: Taveras and Cronyism
- Russell Moore: Mattiello was Correct Choice
- Russell Moore: The Tyranny of the One Percent
- Russell Moore: Fung’s Folly
- Russell Moore: Raimondo’s Daunting Fundraising
- Russell Moore: The Summer of Buddy
- Russell Moore: Constitutional Convention: Just Say Yes!
- Russell Moore: Will the Real Clay Pell Please Stand Up?
- Russell Moore: Experience Makes Caprio a No-Brainer for Treasurer
- Russell Moore: Buddy Still Favorite in Mayoral Bid
- Russell Moore: Elorza Lacks Accountability
- Russell Moore: The GOP’s Curious Case of Catherine Taylor
- Russell Moore: Elorza, Smiley Cut an Insider’s Deal
- Russell Moore: Under Taveras, Providence Goes Lawsuit Crazy
- Russell Moore: Elorza, Smiley and Double Standards
- Russell Moore: Anybody But Cianci?
- Russell Moore: Mirthless Myrth York
- Russell Moore: City Council Pays Are Too Low
- Russell Moore: Is Raimondo Just a Smooth Lincoln Chafee?
