I posted the following to the New York Times article "Yes, Senator, You Wouldn't Want to Lose Your Mammograms – or Women Voters". See http://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/23/opinion/yes-senator-you-wouldnt-want-to-lose-your-mammograms-or-women-voters.html?comments#permid=21906167
I think we should stop calling "Republicans" Republicans. They definitely are not the party of Res Publica (public things). They either are corporatists or stone throwing sinners.
I always wonder where the party I once was a precinct officer of would have become if John Anderson had won the nomination in 1980.
- End of NYT submission
Around the time Ronald Reagan became President the term RINO started being used heavily: Republican in Name Only. It was used to cast out those who believed in the "big tent" that both parties claimed to be.
But I often wonder if the term shouldn't be "RHINO", a big, lumbering mammal with poor eyesight and a willingness to attack anything it sees as a threat. Which is just about anything that moves.
Showing posts with label res public. Show all posts
Showing posts with label res public. Show all posts
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Freedom, democracy, and unelected legislatures
In my readings, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has been appearing more and more. A recent article was "Koch, Exxon Mobil Among Corporations Helping Write State Laws Across U.S." Alison Fitzgerald, Bloomberg, 2011-07-20,
ALEC arranges meetings with legislators and corporate representatives to write model legislation. This legislation is often introduced verbatim into legislative agendas. Raegan Weber, an ALEC spokeswoman, says the group simply facilitates the sharing of information and “good conservative policy.” ALEC’s mission is to promote free markets, limited government, federalism and individual freedom, according to its website. “All of our policies are in line with those principles,” said Weber.
To me these nice-sounding words mean unrestricted operation for big corporations, government that stays out of the way of big corporations, government at the state level that is easier to control, and individual freedom for executives. George Orwell's Newspeak is alive and well.
Missing in all these fine words are democracy and small-r republicanism. The people and things public (res public) are left out of the picture.
ALEC arranges meetings with legislators and corporate representatives to write model legislation. This legislation is often introduced verbatim into legislative agendas. Raegan Weber, an ALEC spokeswoman, says the group simply facilitates the sharing of information and “good conservative policy.” ALEC’s mission is to promote free markets, limited government, federalism and individual freedom, according to its website. “All of our policies are in line with those principles,” said Weber.
To me these nice-sounding words mean unrestricted operation for big corporations, government that stays out of the way of big corporations, government at the state level that is easier to control, and individual freedom for executives. George Orwell's Newspeak is alive and well.
Missing in all these fine words are democracy and small-r republicanism. The people and things public (res public) are left out of the picture.
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