Dear editor,
Language is important. Confucius (551 – 479 BCE), in his book 13 of “The Analects,” states that if we do not use terms correctly, social order is not possible. In U.S. society that issue is still critical. In current political parlance we have pundits dividing political positions into Left and Right. This oversimplification is the basis of much disagreement and emotion. According to Confucius, if we agree on the meaning of words, most conflict can be avoided.
In a capitalist democratic society issues are debated and settled by liberals and conservatives. These political/economic terms refer to philosophical approaches to the organization of society. Both of these philosophical positions accept the basic organization of society based on democracy and capitalism. Traditional conservatives are satisfied with the basic distribution of wealth and power in society. Conservatives are also concerned that the mechanics of government are functioning well, and necessary investments are made for society to make progress. Liberals are in basic agreement, but emphasize the need to address inequities in the distribution of wealth and power. The interaction of these two philosophies, is what we call politics. Debate between the two positions are supposed to result in compromises that permit the government to make progress to a more free and fair society without sacrificing a fair field for individual enterprise.
Making the term “Left” mean that a liberal is an extremist, socialist or communist, is just as damaging as making the term “Right” mean a conservative is an extremist, fascist or nazi. These extremes do exist on the fringe of both political philosophies, but they are not representative of the moderates, both Left and Right. Many moderates exemplify conservative and liberal values depending on the issues. Democratic moderates are pragmatic citizens who wish to make the economic and political system function well.
Who benefits by creating mutually exclusive tribes of the Left and Right? The oligarchy of wealth in our society is invested in denigrating democratic government. Democratic government is the only power center capable of limiting the power of wealth. We already have a supreme court ruling, Citizens United, that equates money as free speech. That magnifies the voice of those of the 1 percent many times over the words of the mass of citizens. Most people simply cannot buy ad time, or own media empires, that amplify their voices. Keeping the lower 99 percent of citizens divided by language, religion, race and ethnicity keeps the oligarchy of wealth in power. Fragmenting the American public into hostile competing groups, however, is a dangerous game.
We have chosen to have a society dominated by billionaires by electing officials who lower taxes on the highest earners. What has happened to the rest of us? Our public schools are underfunded. Because the social security tax is capped for high income people, social security is underfunded. Because we reward big business growing bigger, we have rewarded them with subsidies, at the cost of rewarding local businesses struggling to be more efficient and productive. We maintain a huge private medical and medical insurance bureaucracy that make us comparatively inefficient in delivering health care to our citizens. We have taken demagogic positions toward immigrants who could relieve our labor problems and welcome creative thinkers and entrepreneurs to our shores.
Are we better off for the representatives we have elected in this state. Do these representatives govern in a way to make us a better and more fair society? I am conservative on some issues and liberal on others. Those who say, no, you must be a leftist or rightist extremist, have an agenda that is benefitted by keeping the 99 percent divided and weak. The culture wars, name calling and demonizing of other political positions than one’s own, are diversions, meant to keep the 99 percent from making meager inroads on the corporate and 1 percent oligarchy we have elected to run our country.
Rick Lohr of Marathon
Editor’s note: Wausau Pilot & Review gladly publishes commentary from readers, residents and candidates for local offices. The views of readers and columnists are independent of this newspaper and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wausau Pilot & Review. To submit, email [email protected] or mail to 500 N. Third St., Suite 208-8, Wausau, Wis. 54403.
