Throughout history, there have been some valuable lessons to be learned. Or not. Human development progresses, wrongs bubble to the surface of society and over time, we seek to identify and fix them. The Reformation, for example, would not have happened without the Rome’s insistence on control and orthodoxy. Here in America, we have notable example of people that have walked resolutely into the history books on the wrong side. Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Roger Taney, more recently George Wallace and Strom Thurmond, all stand out for their support and defense of that which should never have been supported or defended. While the Freedom Riders and leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. strode boldly into collective memory on the right side because they “had a dream”.
Let’s say the obvious out loud. Some of our greatest social advances, from Voting Rights, Civil Rights, Social Security to Medicare, Affordable Care, Environmental Protection, form a pattern that have come from the moderate to liberal sector of our political leaders. In fact, our independence, while gained because of real and perceived abuses by the British government, saw some pretty significant changes to Americans’ lives and culture that were written into the Constitution. The Bill of Rights was huge in providing rights and protections for every American. At the time, they were largely protections for white, male, landowners. Over time, however, their benefits were extended to all segments of American society. Conservative philosophies, constantly seeing civilization in the rearview mirror and longing to step back, have done little to make the advancement of civilization a goal. What was the last Republican innovation? Possibly the Emancipation Proclamation. Or Teddy Roosevelt’s National Parks System. Rather few and far between, aren’t they? Richard Nixon did open up relations with China and Russia, but that hasn’t proved lasting, nor has his memory.
Several recent rulings by the conservative Supreme Court have galvanized our citizenry, perhaps the most notable in overturning a decision to guarantee women’s rights to reproduction and abortion. One might say that nothing propels citizens to speak out faster than defining a human right, and then taking it away. The Supreme Court may have done more to bring moderates and liberals together in an election year than the Democratic Party ever might have. A couple of lesser noted cases involve the right to carry guns – another hot button topic after more mass shootings, particularly in an elementary school, and several decisions with a religious slant – public funds for private religious schools and prayer on the football field. Then, in recent days, comes a setback for the environment. The court is taking to heart the words of Calvin Coolidge. “The business of America is business.” Anything that regulates or restricts business, be it price fixing and manipulation, pollution, or paying taxes, or consumer protections, is wrong for the country. Using the mantel of “free market”, which conservatives insist is the best possible system and benefits everyone, we’ve experienced some obvious examples to the contrary – the Great Depression, the Savings and Loan scandals of the 1980’s, and most recently, the financial meltdown of 2008 – 2009. Even the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1800’s was largely exacerbated by inaction from the British Government in the face of massive starvation.
What the Supreme Court is telling us seems to be that rights are selective. The appearance of the rule of law is being cast aside in favor of personal or religious philosophy. The lopsided court decisions have favored religious schools that should be afforded the same access to public money as are non-sectarian private schools. That notion, of course, got a leg up during Betsy DeVos’s administration of the Education Department. She was a champion of private religious schools, as well as for-profit schools, even when some of them went belly-up. That’s a huge shift in that religious schools make up a significant majority of private schools, outnumbering charter, home, and other private educational organizations. This is important because the analysists conducting studies on the public / private school issue conclude that school choice and voucher systems will not cause a major change in enrollments. Those students are already in private/religious schools. The argument that parents will have a ”choice” is irrelevant and won’t promote a huge transfer of students to the private sector. The only thing that will change is the stream of public funding.
Let’s take a moment to consider a more recent ruling. “The Supreme Court decision to limit how the Environmental Protection Agency regulates carbon dioxide emissions from power plants could make an already grave situation worse for those affected most by climate change and air pollution.” (Ledger-Enquirer). Once again, we turn to the words of President Calvin Coolidge, who said, “The man who builds a factory builds a temple, that the man who works there worships there, and to each is due, not scorn and blame, but reverence and praise.” Business is a sacred trust, and cannot, must not be regulated, restricted, or denigrated. We know now in hindsight that, with the Great Depression, Three Mile Island, pharmaceutical companies and opioids, and most recently, the collapse of a large condominium building in Seaside, Florida, business isn’t infallible. Corporate executives and business administrators are not always right, despite what they tell us. It makes mistakes, it often plunges forward in the wrong direction, and it frequently seeks to enrich itself first and foremost, at the expense of the general population. Short term gains outweigh long term comprehensive benefits. Corporate leaders are beholden to the stockholders, not their employees or customers. Recently shown on television, as we head into election season, are political ads touting inflation as a byproduct of rampant government spending, and guess who they’re blaming? Actually, historically, government spending has had little to do with it. Inflation is more a function of supply and demand. Think energy production and demand, as well as labor shortages. That’s why we’re seeing “now hiring” signs everywhere from supermarkets to Home Depot and UPS. The cost of labor has risen, affecting so many segments of our economy. And, correspondingly, minimum wage is no longer an incentive. Labor costs have increased, and guess what? Inflation. Unions are making a comeback everywhere from Trader Joe’s to Starbucks. They grew to become a counterbalance to the “robber barons” of the nineteenth century, who lived in unprecedented luxury while paying factory workers, including children, a pittance.
Finally, I’d like to point directly to any White Supremacist groups springing up and marching across the country. Talk about being on the wrong side of history. Their ignorance of history is nothing short of staggering. Do they really think we can go back to the days of “Whites Only” signs on water fountains and “Irish need not apply”? They are scared though, as minorities are becoming majorities, and more importantly, voting majorities. Some of these misguided folks are trying hard to resurrect images of the Stars and Bars and the Lost Cause. But no, any effort that champions one ethnic group over another will, like the Missouri Compromise, be consigned to the huge dumpster of history’s failures.
Whoever penned “You can’t go back” has given us a roadmap. At some points, it’s to a highway, while others, just a footpath. But we as a society, as a collection of thinking human beings must always be looking and moving forward for the benefit of everyone. That is way that lessons are learned. Those that are always looking longingly backward will be doomed to fear and disappointment. They’ll be flip phones in an age of iPhones. Typewriters in the era of computers. Outhouses in a time of spa bathrooms. West Virginia coal in a generation of solar energy.
I'm Thinking...No! 