Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Color me Liberal. Letter to the Editor May 19

Color me Liberal. Letter to the Editor May 19

My letter recognizes the necessity of Progressivism and Conservatism but left unstated is the poison of radicalism. Liberals and Conservatives will always find some areas of agreement. Radicals will reject any and all policies that don't meet their very strict and limited criteria. This is reality.

In this forum, radical ideas from the right are often presented with gravitas as though they are well reasoned and insightful,fulfilling the needs and desires of most citizens. The AZ law is radical. It marginalizes ALL latinos. It is a policy that was borrowed straight out of the playbook for Apartheid in South Africa. "Papers Please" also echos the frightening history of pre-WWII Europe.

If this is a reasonable policy, require EVERYONE to carry their proof of citizenship. Further, require all corporations that hire workers of every wage level prove that they've verified legal work status. Of course that would take a competent government regulatory organization and a compliant corporate citizenry. Conservatives wouldn't have much of a problem with this but the radicals who dominate the political debate on the right only would weaken government regulations and strengthen the hand of corporations who seek cheap illegal workers.

Radicals rarely care about contradictions like this. It is radical to insist that corporations exist to create wealth and should be allowed to create wealth by any and all means available without concern for the law, the environment, the citizenry, or the economy. It is radical to take charge of government and then systematically break down it's regulatory function essentially making it subservient to the plutocracy. It is radical to insist on lower and lower taxes and a higher and higher defense budget. It is radical to insist that NO power of the federal government save the common defense is as valuable as the preservation of private wealth.

In reality, this radicalism is poison.