In 1975 in the United States, New York City was in crisis. The city was near bankruptcy, the unions were getting even more greedy, and uncollected garbage was rotting in mountainous piles on sidewalks. President Gerald Ford journeyed to New York to address the crisis,  delivering a hot-air cheerleading speech (I recall he used the word “resilience” a few dozen times)—but pledged no support and certainly no funds.