Based on the recent writings of Professor George Lakoff and the Newtown statements from our President, I posted the following to FB to contrast the conservative without conscience (CWC) and progressive moral values on the recent shootings in Newtown, CT.
Which moral value would you pick? The individual freedom to own weapons for mass killing or the social responsibility to prevent violence against all our children?
A similar moral value contrast could work for Citizens United. But, what are the CWC/progressive moral choices?
The basic progressive moral value is to both protect and empower while being responsible for both oneself and others. For the family, both parents equally protect and empower each child. For the government, our elected representatives should enable the equal protection and empowerment of all citizens. The opposing CWC value is individual freedom to provide one’s own protection and empowerment. As ‘rugged individualists,’ CWCs don’t need government.
Also, we’ve had decades of CWC dogma about limiting government and absolutely no discussion about limiting corporate governance, which has grown/evolved for decades and now protects and empowers only CEOs and major stockholders at the expense of everything else impacted by corporate governance.
With that in mind, here are some moral value options on governance – as citizens in a representative democracy or as consumers in a corporatocracy. Which would you pick, CWC or P?
CWC: Limiting representative government and privatizing all that is public, or
P: Limiting corporate governance and thus protecting citizen’s well-being, prosperity and safety?
CWC: Maximizing corporate freedom by eliminating governmental checks and balances, or
P: Maximizing citizen freedom by having government check and balance abusers of power?
CWC: Living under corporate governance which is accountable only to the CEO and a few major stockholders, or
P: Living under representative government that is accountable to voters?
CWC: Having corporate governance concerned only about profit at the expense of other stakeholders including customers, or
P: Having representative government concerned exclusively about protecting and empowering all citizens equally?
CWC: Having corporate governance that has bought our representative government, or
P: Having representative governance that is independent of international corporations which are as financially as large as small countries?
What are we willing to pay for the unlimited freedom to own weapons of mass killing – the lives of our own children?
What are we willing to pay for unlimited free enterprise – the loss of our representative government?
Our freedom of speech has reasonable limitations, like talking about “bombs” in a crowded public airport, and we haven’t suffered the “slippery slop.” Our freedom to travel is reasonably limited by traffic control and it hasn’t kept us home bound. Why can’t we accept reasonable limitations on gun ownership and corporate personhood?
“Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?” — Barack Obama, Newtown Address, December 16, 2012
Andy Hailey