I am disappointed that I am not an acquaintance of George Thompson (Herald, Dec. 5), because as a progressive, I would be very happy to discuss my values with him. This is, of course, a rather broad topic, so I would start by discussing what he seems focused on – power.
I believe in a government of, by and for the people. I believe that corporations are not people, and should not have the power that people have.
I believe that there are incentive structures (taxes, subsidies, government contracts, etc.) in place already intended to influence what we eat, drive and spend money on and that those incentives should be used to encourage health, sustainability and inclusiveness, not private profit.
As to the state’s superiority, I bet Mr. Thompson would agree that there are things that should be done outside the for-profit structure – police, fire and military services being the most obvious. I would simply propose that some other items like education and basic health care should be on the list.
I do not see this as narcissism (as he calls it). I see it as protecting my life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, and that of future generations.
So, of course it’s all about power – the state’s power should be used to benefit we the people, not as shareholders but as citizens.
I would be happy to have the conversation. I bet we would find that many of our values are shared.
TJ Wilson
Durango
