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In some ways, Hudson Common Sense is a love letter to The Economist, to London, and greater Commonwealth and parliamentary culture. Published since September 1843 to take part āin a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progressā.
We believe in a Hudson that is more:
Government decisions should be based on evidence and public interest, not party loyalty or personalities. On rare occasions, when evidence compels it, we endorse individuals and positions, not parties. We assess candidates, budget votes, planning decisions, and ballot measures on their merits. We will never tell you to vote blue no matter who, or red no matter what. We are evidence-driven, not team-driven.
See our brief post defining āApoliticalā and related but distinct American political terms.
City services must deliver the greatest benefit with the least waste of taxpayer money, time, and effort.
Every resident is subject to the same rules and entitled to the same protections, due process, and access to opportunity.
Hudson today runs on hypocrisy, dressing selfāinterest as virtue. Housing is treated as blood sport. City Hall runs theatre instead of government, rewarding insiders and punishing outsiders. Tax codes protect patronage. Local myths thrive while facts are ignored. Bad nonprofits harvest grief for grants. The rich pay, the poor collect, and the middle class is forced out and forgotten.
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Hudson has drifted fromĀ e pluribus unumĀ toĀ e pluribus pluraĀ out of many, more. It will recover when common sense and common purpose outweigh petty quarrels.
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Hudson should stand for more than vice and nostalgia. Meritocracy and ambition can thrive alongside pluralism, history, art, and nature. A city that leads in design, culture, and prized legacy can also run a government so efficient it makes Zurich jealous. Why not aim to become a National Blue Ribbon School Program? We can choose competence over theatre and ambition over grievance, building a Hudson with lower taxes, predictable Planning Board decisions, topāquartile public schools, and a civic culture free of nativism or factions where every resident is equal.
Our work proceeds through three instruments:
š£ļøĀ Commentary: We write (Editorials), commission or accept (Guest Op-Eds), and publish knowledge guides; sharp opinion on issues that matter.
šÆĀ Critique: We challenge avoidable failures and satirize hypocrisy in The Shallot (inspired by The Onion).
āļøĀ Courts: When persuasion fails, we pursue (or support) litigation as a last resort to protect residentsā rights and ensure equality.
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āThe courts were designed to be an intermediate body between the people and the legislature, in order, among other things, to keep the latter within the limits assigned to their authority.ā ~ Alexander Hamilton
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Get the latest Hudson Common Sense Briefing straight to your inbox every last Sunday of the month.
Each (monthly-ish) issue includes updates on local governance, analysis, and civic insights from Common Sense. We respect your privacy, your time, and your inbox, so outside of election season you will only receive one newsletter from us per month.
We send a monthly email, this is not a typical āreply-allā group email, so you will not get responses from other subscribers, and no one will ever be able to see your membership status.
Click the link below to sign up: ā¬
If the link doesnāt work, send us a quick note and weāll add you manually.
Email us at: [email protected]
Curious what the briefings look like? Here are examples of past issues:
Election ā25: Voter Guide / Why we endorsed Joe Ferris / Our First Foil Files (1)
Briefing: Hudson's Housing Choice, Mayoral Mediums, Grant Snafus & New Website (1)
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To avoid confusion and ensure utter clarity, we use different designs for different types of publications and content. Read the full story of our Brand Evolution here.
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AtĀ Hudson Common Sense, we treat reasoned disagreement not as dissent but as democratic maintenance. Like a good market, ideas thrive on competition. We seek out arguments we oppose, not out of masochism, but conviction: that truth is iterative and critique is civic duty. Publishing our fiercest detractors is not charity, it is epistemic hygiene, meaning keeping our thinking honest, rigorous, and well-informed. And for the Mayor, checking facts before posts, not polishing podiums.
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Show some courage and write your own Guest Op-Ed!
Offer a new idea, a levelheaded critique, or fresh take on old issues. No need to overthink it. Say it, write it, voice note it, send it via courier pigeonā¦
Read the guidelines on How To Submit Your Guest Op-Ed, and reach out to [email protected] or directly to your Hudson Common Sense correspondent.
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Two example profiles of our Common Sense āProfile Boxes,ā with their respective āProfile Portraitsā, demonstrated best by our Editorsā most beloved (fictional) Parks & Recreation characters, Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson.
We also donāt mind being on the receiving end of satire or critique, just pick a lane. Take note that we are experienced in the Memes of Production and the Art of Peace.