I have no idea what compelled me (C.H.) to write this, but I did. Forgive any typos and grammatical errors as I havent had time to proofread. But I wanted to get this to you in the event your lunch-break isnt already boring enough. Cheers. :) --- Some call me a collectivist… And they sometimes would be correct, but not always or in every case. I believe in the power of the people. I support men and women using their combined might to derive benefits greater than they could obtain individually. I am in favor of trade unions protecting employees interests. I am in favor of governments being used as an instrument of the citizens will. Some call me a socialist… And they sometimes would be correct, but not always or in every case. I believe socialism and capitalism are tools in our great socioeconomic garage. Where capitalism fails, socialism can be useful supplement. One such area is Municipal Broadband. There are many examples of cities and towns across the United States in which private Internet services have made minimal investments, or none at all, leaving users with substandard service. Why should such people accept the status quo when they can join together, using the government as an instrument of their will, build and run their own fiber network (or, with the treat of doing so, compel private organizations to act)? Other such areas are healthcare and other social services for those who capitalism has failed, or from whom capitalists have stolen. I think of capitalism as a great fire. It has the energy to warm the homes of millions. But its reach is finite -- it leaves many in the cold, both as a matter of nature, and as a result of those closest to the flame choosing to hoard it for their own uses (a model which is wholly unsustainable and results in uprisings). Some call me a statist…. And, again, they sometimes, but not always, would be correct. While my belief in the power of the people is absolute, I dont consider that power to always be a good thing. The TEA Party is a perfect example to cite. I dont want to be needlessly rude, but some people *are* too stupid and/or too ideological to have a say in the direction of this country and they must be stopped from driving us over the precipice of disaster. A statist like Stalin might outright eliminate the TEA Party through use of violence, but I think we can accomplish similar ends without shedding blood. In my view, the state must impose strict standards of education across the whole country -- with heavy emphasis on mathematics and science as well as history and civics -- even over the objections of rural homeschoolers (who can barely spell, let alone teach), members of local school boards (who relentlessly seek either to infuse religion into science or remove science that conflicts with their favorite mythology). It must find ways to regulate the media by restoring severe penalties for lying, for deliberately misleading the public, or using their position as objective journalists to influence rather than report. Finally, it must force those peddling opinions to clearly label them as such so as to eliminate confusion about whats fact, legitimate analysis, and utter nonsense cooked up by entertainers. Some call me confused… But I prefer to think of myself as nuanced. I dont see the world in black and white terms. There are many shades of grey, and many right tools for different jobs and goals. There is no one size fits all Right and Wrong for each and every situation. Both the power of the people and the power of the state (not to mention the power of the corporation) can do as much good as evil. I dont pretend otherwise. But I try to examine every situation under its own microscope to see what the problems are and think about what solutions might help. Some call me a traitor… Aww, Hell, lets not mince words: Conservatives call me a traitor. They call me a traitor because I believe that tyranny comes in many sources -- not just from the government. To suggest that certain individuals or their companies can mete as much tyranny with their great resources is unpatriotic to them. To further suggest that such individuals must be broken or weakened is considered downright treasonous to American values (whatever they consider those values to be in the moment). And I suppose they might be right. To them, freedom is an absolute concept that includes not only the right to believe whatever they want as individuals, but also to act on those beliefs -- however grotesque such actions might be -- without interference from the collective. Discrimination, oppression, subjugation (to their religious values), exertion of monetary power and influence over those with less or none, and more are perfectly okay in their mind. Im okay with being a traitor to those who believe just as much in the freedom to impose evil as the freedom to be evil. But in the end, I am a Liberal… I think for myself; I welcome debate and conversation; I am part Conservative, part Libertarian, part Progressive, part Communist, part Capitalist, part 1%, part 47%. I advocate for the building of a better world; and I invite others to work with me in that pursuit -- and ask only that you think more than you feel, that you consider matters on your own rather than repeating somebody elses opinion, that you research rather than cite anecdotal evidence, and that if youre incapable of educating yourself and becoming an informed member of the electorate please stay home on election night rather than voting for the guy with the best hairdo. ~C.H.
Posted on: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 16:57:29 +0000