1/16/01

Letter to a Conservative Friend,

I’ve heard your politics — now it’s my turn. When we were kids the Republicans resented the New Deal because it meant the institutionalization of Robin Hood — spreading the wealth around. Their philosophy was that the national and global decisions are made by the profit motive, regardless of consequences. With some modification they are still driven by profit, whether it be social security, medicare or the minimum wage. In spite of the Crash of ‘29 or Reagan’s Black Friday, they still believe the common good is in the grubby hands of the money vendors. If that’s so, then why at the turn of the last century did the auto-industry expect public funding of highways? Did the railroad magnates produce locomotives and cars without laying tracks? — though they did get great globs of land tracts from the government. And why didn’t Eisenhower go to his wealthy backers and say “I want you to build the Interstate Highway” instead of tapping the nation’s coffers? [His best achievement, by the way.] Of course, in reality, the private sector does build everything from the lowly ditch digger to the highest priced engineer. The only difference is that the government brokers the deals for anything and everything that is for the general welfare of the people. And that’s what the constitution is all about and what Republicans do not believe in. The Dixiecrats had been staunch Democrats in the old days because they were poor and in want of compassion, provided the government stayed out of civil rights, which is merely an extension of the general welfare clause. Once the Democrats since Truman pushed for civil and voting rights, the confederates returned to their true colors of not believing in a United States. This too keys in to the pagan temple of Republicanism where they hoot and howl about states’ rights which is a ploy to smash the instruments of getting things done for the people. Just take the second amendment crap that Charlton Heston doles out. The NRA is psycho over a government take over — this is nothing but the Confederates reincarnated. The second amendment was designed to call together a state militia for the purpose of keeping the peace on behalf of government, not against it. The right to bear arms of an individual came out of the frontier in pushing back the Indians. That huge redneck, red belt, seen on TV election night is actually the spread of the Confederacy from Florida to Montana — a frightening thought, particularly when my best friend thinks along their lines.

In the old days I felt some guilt working for the A&P before they were unionized; however, their policy was to keep ahead of the unions in pay. Of course, in those days there was no such thing as fringe benefits. Chances are when you worked for Libby’s and Eastern, neither had a union. And when you tossed books at the post office at Doubleday, you didn’t need one because the Feds were way ahead of most unions. I know, when I worked part time at the Garden City PO in the 50s, I was making $2.10 an hour when most part time work was still 75¢ to a buck which was what I was getting previously when I worked across the street for DD. It saddens me that there is this anti-union feeling so prevalent today because the younger generations have no idea that in the main they owe their relative prosperity to the labor movement — directly or indirectly. Granted much of the union universe is still run by thugs but so is management, the difference being only in the color of their collars. Not since Reagan has union-busting been up front because they now bust by manufacturing and exploiting in foreign countries.

But what saddens me even more is that those who have directly benefitted and are union members still wear the conservative mantle. I guess they think that by being higher on the pay scale and in order to protect it they deny others the same opportunity. That’s the Republican party in a nut shell: yes, you can take it with you.

This is a letter I wrote to the American Federation of Teachers of which I was a member for some thirty years:

Thanks, Nader.

I have no use for the likes of members who reap the benefits of the union and yet mouth off — as per Nov. issue — favoring independent and republican candidates. Nader and the so-called independents of Tennessee be damned!

It is entirely dishonest for anyone in a union to vote other than Democratic unless there are still some Rockefeller-Javits liberal Republicans around — happy hunting — as indeed AFT continues to be fair in evaluating proven liberal Republicans, few and far between. These outraged right wing members made their “informed decisions” and are happy now that Bush II is at the helm. They won’t be in 2004.

Richard R. Kennedy, A Proud New Deal Democrat

I guess this tells you where I stand. I can remember when the Rooseveltian city Jews got a taste of owning property in Levittown they turned Republican! They forgot that Truman got them the VA loans and G.I. Bill! One of the things I always admired about my brother-in-law Fran Shields is that no matter how much wealth he accumulated he never changed colors. He remained a Democrat till his last day of self identity before falling into the abyss of Alzheimer. He used to say at tax time that his 65% tax bracket didn’t bother him because he knew that if his boss wasn’t in the 90% bracket he’d be getting clerk’s wages because the boss would keep it all. Yet today’s wealthy brats are screaming over a lousy 37%!!

You are right as far as foreign policy goes in the Democrats getting us into some meaningless but tragic wars, but you must remember that Truman and Johnson were under constant pressure from the hawkish Republicans never to let the commies get away with anything. Surely, you don’t have “somezeimer” concerning Nixon and McCarthyism. Nixon as a congressman and senator, you remember, was belligerently against China’s admission to the UN, staging China’s entrance into Korea, not to mention Mc Arthur’s atrocious, costly bluff that the Chinks called. As a matter of fact I wrote a letter then to Newsday blasting Nixon. Ironically, twenty years later he becomes a hero in visiting China! There wasn’t a peep out of the nation over the Gulf “War” because it had meaning — OIL! Colin Powell was lionized, though he had the audacity — raising hairs among WWII veterans — to claim the war the greatest in history. Could you imagine the WWII Nips sitting on their hands for six months while we assembled a war machine? [Give me a break.] Besides everyone knew Saddam was a just a bully and would run and hide — why, a few years earlier even Iran kicked his ass!

Returning to the issue of taxes, which amounts to more butt-kissing the rich after they fleeced — since Reagan — the nation, resulting in a debt-rise to the moon, I just can’t see the conservative view — more of the same trickle down crap. To begin with, how can there be a surplus when the nation still owes $5 trillion? And have you thought to whom we owe that money? Why, the Nips, Jerries, of course, together with the Gates of the nation, all getting wealthier on the interest paid out by us the little taxpayer. I can’t believe you could fall for that line. When we were kids we didn’t have to be rocket scientists to know instinctively that the rich get richer while we get stomped on.

What you think about affirmative action and welfare is correct to some extent; but only because great people like Agnes and Mike worked hard all their lives on their own will and ambition, needing nothing from the government. But what you don’t mention is the result of the KKK mentality of the south that has infected northerners, too. If you remember after WWII the southern politicians bussed blacks to the big cities in the north by the thousands for us to take care of them. Thus, the urban blight — Old New York gone forever — filled with thousands of uneducated blacks just because the damned rebels had continued for eighty years to oppress them despite losing the Civil War. And, of course the blacks kept coming because there was no life for them in the south. We took on the distrustful mentality of the south by making it tough for them to make a living in the north. We figured welfare was a small price to pay to keep them out of the work force. If the turncoat south wasn’t such a powerful voting bloc, the government should tax them more for all the years it shirked its duty to what was right to begin with. Why, had it not been for FDR and the WPA, southerners would still — the few that could — be reading by kerosene lamp.

Now you think Bush’s beating a dead horse by picking up where Reagan left off on star wars is good strategy. That’s cold war thinking — the only fear is fear itself — or Bellerose Theater Saturday morning Flash Gordon-Buck Roger serials. To me, it is more important to counter rogue nations, drug-traffickers and terrorists, not to mention defense against the rogues at home that molest and kidnap children, shoot up schools, murder fellow-workers, and the detestable OJs, [to a lesser degree Clintons] having no regard for women. Yes, the money is better spent on the Armed Services — and particularly the Air Force, Marines, Rangers and Seals equipped for fast, punishing action, along with greater funds for a smarter, fully armed police force. Your son is a peace officer: run this by him. There is no room for trigger happy policemen, such as those assholes who took target practice at that innocent guy at the entrance of his home. If they are that paranoid over self-preservation they should be at a desk or sentenced to a year in Parris Island of kick-ass training. The police should be trained extensively in order to understand the awesome responsibility in bearing arms and the essential need to respect the firepower, using them with caution and sharpshooter accuracy, but they should not be issued pea-shooters either, rather, firepower surpassing that of the punks. To curtail the paranoia of both sides in troublesome communities of color, no white police officer should be sent in alone without a black or Hispanic partner, both armed to the teeth, including grenades. In other words, whether a traffic violation or a riot, the officer should be packing awesome power as a deterrent — yeah, “make my day”, if you dare. And in foreign policy, that’s precisely our attitude now: if any nation is stupid enough to try to break down our defense, presto — they’re wiped off the map. Thus, potential enemies wouldn’t dare chance our making our day. 

Rednecks will laugh but a far greater danger is in global warming. You should be concerned about that because it will affect your grandchildren and their children if something isn’t done about it soon. Of course, nothing will be done because Bush’s Brats want their money back now. Had Clinton true balls — not the ones hanging for Monica — at the beginning of his term he should have said to all those — not us, we were out of the picture and paying more — who made billions on Reagan’s tax cuts: “All right, enough already, barons of capital, S&L thieves, and junk bond con-artists, you have had your windfall, now it’s time to tighten the belt; the picnic is over — you’re going to pay back big time! We need the dough because the infrastructure is in shambles. More and more sports arenas, Taj Mahals MacDonalds and Disneyworlds are not the priorities of this nation.” Why, those bonehead tax cuts in the 80s, not only quadrupled the debt but could’ve paid, a manned flight to Mars to boot, for your fond Star Wars!

     I guess, then, we should confine our conversations to sports, family and nostalgia, huh? In reality, we’re not that polarized — we both have Archie’s chair, we just sit in it differently.

Your best friend always — if you were running for president, though, my ballot would be “dimpled.”