Awareness of social irresponsibility of Republicans should be raised
Letter to the Editor
In his Inside Column from Tuesday, Dustin Ferrell is quite right in claiming that Democrats have their individual failings, and he also correctly points out that some Democrats do not hold positions of highest virtue on every issue. But one could claim that of any human, for we all fall short of perfection. Does human imperfection mean that no idea is better than any other idea? Does the fact that policies are frequently imperfect mean that one should attempt to improve those policies or, rather, just abandon the issue altogether? Of course, "not supporting ineffective legislation" does not mean "not caring." However, in the absence of proposals of effective legislation from Republicans, suspicion arises as to real motives. The traditional Republican approach to the environment is the frequently discredited one of allowing companies to enforce themselves. Of course, Republicans receive millions from companies to encourage this position — a cynical person might even say that many companies have no intention of enforcing themselves.
Ferrell vastly understates the overwhelmingly positive impact of environmental legislation. And without Democrats (and a few Republicans of good will), there would be no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act, and no effective method of enforcing corporate responsibility in regard to the environment. Give credit where credit is due. It is ludicrous even to compare the Democratic party record to the systematic attempts of the Republican party in 1994 to dismantle even the most basic environmental legislation.
Lest one think naively that no corporation is completely irresponsible anymore, I point to the long-standing battle between the National Resources Defense Council and Texaco. The NRDC is a highly respected, non-profit, public interest group. According to the NRDC, in 1988, "our scientists uncovered evidence from Texaco's own internal reports showing that the company had been knowingly and illegally discharging tons of oil, grease and other highly toxic pollutants into the [Delaware] river since 1983." Armed with Texaco's own pollution reports and the testimony of local residents, NRDC quickly filed suit against Texaco in federal court. The oil company responded with legal delay tactics for three years, during which it continued to pollute the Delaware River. Finally, in 1991, the case went to trial and a federal judge, calling NRDC's evidence against Texaco (practically unassailable)‚ determined that the company had violated the Clean Water Act on a total of 3,360 days." Texaco, fined heavily and discredited, continued to resist and eventually faced contempt proceedings for its obstinate delays in undertaking a court-ordered environmental study. The court battle continued into January 2000!
In regard to race relations, critics of the Democratic Party like Farrell enjoy pointing out the traditional racism of Southern Democrats. Unfortunately, time has passed for that objection. Long ago, the most notorious racists in our government (such as Strom Thurmond) got the message and switched allegiances, to the Republican Party.
Many Republicans these days endlessly lambaste President Clinton while lionizing Ronald Reagan as the serene embodiment of the ideals of the Party. Reagan demonstrated his concern for children and education by trying to abolish (not revamp!) the Federal Department of Education, all the while selling weapons to the Contras in blatant defiance of the law. Lest we forget, Bill Clinton was not the first president to have trouble recalling facts while under oath.
Ferrell imagines that there is no coherent ideology to political parties. However, there is, and it's called a platform. In the real world, most of the time, legislators vote the party line. If conscientious Notre Dame Catholics should not be Democrats because of the abortion issue, a host of issues dictate that they not be Republican either. Realistic voters must honestly address the institutional Republican Party's legacy of social irresponsibility on a wide range of issues, not wish it away.
Tim Campbell
Senior
Alumni Hall
February 8, 2000
All Viewpoint Stories for Friday, February 11, 2000
