After we just completed an election season where democracy was under attack across the country, a movement has sprung up in New York City that seeks to strengthen rather than subvert involvement in the democratic process. It's called participatory budgeting.

It was the ultimate behind-the-scenes tour -- or more accurately, under-the-scenes -- about 100 feet into Manhattan bedrock via an access shaft to see exactly how the Second Avenue Subway (SAS) is coming along.

New York will survive Sandy, but so will the city's persistent inequalities and environmental precarity. So when the electricity comes back on, working people should understand that before the next crisis hits, they need to leverage the devastation to generate new political and economic power.

Philanthropy and public-private partnerships should not be faulted but encouraged, especially following Hurricane Sandy's damage to the parks when it's most needed.