Moses began weighing political costs against idealistic gains in state jobs

Evidence

His conversation began to include the phrases of practical politics as well as those of scientific management textbooks. His analysis of a state job began to take into consideration not only whether the position was necessary for the betterment of mankind but also who had appointed the man who now held the position. He learned to weigh the governmental gains that might be achieved by the position’s elimination and by the use for worthier purposes of the salary allocated to it against the political losses the elimination might entail—how much it would antagonize the appointer and how great an obstacle such antagonism might be to Smith’s over-all program. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 429

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Moses endorsed suppressing civil servants who dared to unionize. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 243; Agency wealth let Moses substitute economic for democratic decision-making power — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 93; Moses’ motive shifted from building works to seizing power itself — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 2594

Broader Connections

• Agency wealth let Moses substitute economic for democratic decision-making power #expands (0.80) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 93
• Moses’ motive shifted from building works to seizing power itself #complicates (0.75) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 2594