by Rick Lowe (http://www.weblogbahamas.com)
Back on August 13, 2009 I posted this blog challenging a columnist called "Simon" about a couple of the ideas s/he expressed in a missive about the education problems in The Bahamas.
I referred to statists and have been challenged in a private e-mail exchange about calling people names. Of course my immediate response is maybe I shouldn't react when people call me an extremist or right wing etc instead of referring to me as a classical liberal, but we all want to defend our integrity I guess.
That said, in his opinion piece yesterday, "Simon" confirms that he is a statist or as he calls the public policies he supports, progressivism. But just what is progressivism?
According to Wikipedia, "Progressivism is a political and social term that refers to ideologies and movements favoring or advocating changes or reform, usually in a statist or egalitarian direction for economic policies (government management)..."
The use of the word progressive is for obvious reasons. If you oppose the public policy they suggest, you are by extension regressive.
However, I'd like to suggest a little brain teaser.
In the blue pages of the phone book there are some 179 government offices, incorporating ministries, departments, agencies etc.
Please take a minute to think about whether they accomplish their mission or not.
What's your answer?
I thought so.
The government does not do a very good job.
So why on earth would we want to be progressives, some of their more reasonable policies not withstanding?