Political opposites find some common ground
To the Editor:
I am writing to respond to the column written by Leo Morris that appeared in the Thursday, July 25, 2019, edition of the Daily Reporter (“What happens when fools rush in,” Page A6). While the column was well written, I want to offer a different perspective.
Mr. Morris explains he was once a liberal and is now a conservative. This is a fairly common trajectory for many Caucasian men. Saddled with responsibilities to family and community, we can often become overwhelmed with the vagaries of more liberal ideas.
I took a very different path. In my late teens and early 20s, I identified as Republican. In fact, I was a member of the Young Republican Party. This was a time when a person could be a social liberal and a fiscal conservative in the Republican Party. I attended my second Young Republican Leadership Conference in 1976. We were interested to learn Ronald Reagan would be our keynote speaker. I only knew him as a B-movie star.
Once we got to the conference, we learned Reagan would phone his speech in. And, as we all know, he would become president and would usher in an era of conservatism that survives today. Not an era of care for the working person, but an era that has seen the wealthy become even more so and the protection of moneyed interests to the detriment of all others.
I moved to the Democrats. Once seeing they were only the poorer cousins of Republicans and just as interested in protecting the wealthy, I had to move further left.
I now identify as a progressive. I continue to look for an organization that shares my values. I am heartened by the thinking of “The Squad.” I do not agree with them entirely, but I am glad there are people who are willing to speak to issues that the Republicans and Democrats refuse to even consider.
Finally, I agree that current trends with marijuana laws are dangerous. We must be cautious. As a former addictions counselor, I am afraid the rush to total legalization is dangerous to our society. CBD oil and medical marijuana should be studied comprehensively to determine if they are safe to consume and that they have the desired effects so many claim. Allowing people to consume a product that is only designed to get a person high is not good public policy. And I am referring to recreational marijuana.
As I end this letter, I feel we share some common ground, Mr. Morris. Maybe those at far ends of the political spectrum will come to realize this.
Jim Matthews
Greenfield
