There is no doubt we have all heard the phrase “United we stand, divided we fall” used on numerous occasions. It is first attributed to the great fable writer Aesop, as he introduced the word grouping in his “Four Oxen and the Lion.”

 More poignantly, it was adopted as an American axiom when it was presented by John Dickenson in the Revolutionary War era ditty, The Liberty Song:  “Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!”

 The state of Kentucky uses the phrase as its motto, while Missouri has it incorporated into its state flag. Numerous pop and rock groups have woven the words into their songs, like Pink Floyd in “Hey You” and Wilbert Harrison in “Let’s Work Together.”

  It seems as if the phrase is used almost everywhere – except Niagara Falls, that is.

 Here our division is so great that about the only thing we stand united in is our steadfast resolve not to ever agree on one point that involves public or governmental input. 

 For instance, take the Nik Wallenda walk. For the first time in the city’s history a major network is devoting its complete primetime schedule, a full three hours, to what will amount to a free infomercial for tourism here. To calculate the value is of such a block of time, consider this:

 In 2010-2011 the average cost of a 30-second national commercial on a major network was about $225,000. Each hour of the Wallenda coverage will constitute 88 of those spots (44 minutes of air time, with 16 minutes devoted to commercials.) Times that number by three and you get the equivalent of 264, 30-second spots.

 Now, multiply that number by the $225,000 per spot average and you’ll see that the city is getting $59.4 million in free advertising. If the city were to receive the entirety of the, three years in arrears, money it is owed by the Seneca Nation it would take nearly every penny of it to buy what the Wallenda walk is bringing in for free.

  Furthermore, the national exposure is sure to draw hundreds of thousands of extra visitors to the region over the summer. As morbid as it sounds, if anything goes wrong on the wire that number will grow larger.

 Anywhere else that sort of news would be met with whoops and hollers and spontaneous public parades of joy. Here, not so much. Many people are calling the stunt carnival-like and are dissing it in print and online. 

 I won’t dismiss their viewpoint as I believe that the awe-inspiring natural beauty of the Falls should be protected, but I also believe a city on the brink of extinction like ours needs all of the national exposure it can get.

 In a perfect universe, one where the “united we stand” mantra reigned supreme, there was a great compromise to be had. The dissenters could have agreed to temper their disdain for the stunt in exchange for a small segment on the program that spoke to the Olmsted vision of the park and a plea to America to remember the beauty long after Wallenda’s wire was lowered back to the ground. 

 It was an opportunity for the protectors of Niagara’s greenway and blue cascading waters to get that message to millions of people all at once. It is an opportunity that won’t happen again for a long, long time – if ever. 
 People have often asked me over the years, “How can you write for such a negative newspaper when your style is so opposing in nature?”

  After reminding them of all of the big stories that this paper broke that defended the good people of this community, I always add, “Besides, I get the same exposure to the audience as anyone else in the paper does. Why not use that to get my message out?”
  It’s not just Wallenda, but think about every major issue discussed here – we’re divided on all of them. Removal of the Robert Moses Parkway? Split 50/50. Maid of the Mist or Hornblower? Another split. A new Chamber of Commerce or letting the countywide Chamber handle everything? You don’t need a banana to see it’s another split.

 Heck, we can’t agree if we should build more low-income housing or tear down the ones we already have. We can’t agree what the signs should say or look like that direct tourists in the downtown corridor.

  Did Harriet Tubman lead slaves through our city on their way to Canada? Depends on who you ask. Should we fund an experience center? The “yes” and the “no” votes cancel each other out.

  Are the Hard Rock concerts worth the public money? Will private businesses ever thrive again on Main Street? Should the NTCC spend so much of its budget on the East Indian market? Should city department heads be sought locally or rocured through national searches?

  We have no consensus on any questions. What is worse we have no true public discourse. What we have is opposing sides screaming through megaphones and slinging mud at one another. What we have is a house divided and, as Abraham Lincoln said, using the words of Jesus, in his anti-slavery speech to Republican delegates in June of 1858, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

  The fault for this sad state lies at the feet of all of us. Surely, it is often true of elected officials, but they serve at our appointment and mirror our substandard behavior. The same can be said of most of our not-for-profits and public organizations, including most I have been involved with. People get sidetracked from the altruistic desires that drew them to a cause becoming e mired in power struggles and vendettas meant to protect molehills at the expense of the shared mountain. There isn’t much sand in Niagara Falls, but when you come across some you can be sure someone has drawn a line in it. 

 If we are to properly turn this city around it will only come with far less conflict and far more compromise. I will tell you right mow that the sentiments I have expressed in this column are spot-on and are beyond reproach and should be embraced by all the people of this great city that we love and share.

  I’m certain that a full 50 percent of you will whole-heartedly agree.