Aaron Regunberg: Think Again on Pension Reform
Friday, November 18, 2011
Have you ever been on one side of a debate and looked around you to find that your values are radically different from the rest of the people on your team, people youusually want to have nothing to do with?
When this happens to me, I try to stop and ask myself how well I actually understand the particular issue in question, and if there’s any chance I may not have the full story. Sometimes, of course, my opinion remains unchanged and I realize that I actually had more in common with these people than I originally thought. Often, however, I discover there’s some aspect of the situationthat I’ve missedand, after learning more, my position changes and I switch to the side that’s more in line with my core values.
I bring this up because I think it’s relevant to the ongoing pension reform debate, particularly following some of the endorsements the current pension bill has received. If you consider yourself a Democrat—and certainly if you consider yourself to be at all progressive—and you’re a big supporter of this particular ‘reform’ initiative, I’d suggest that you take stock of who’s involved in the fight and ask yourself a few questions.
For example, why does the Rhode Island Tea Party agree with you? In case you hadn’t heard, the RI Tea Party has given a ringing endorsement to General Treasurer Raimondo’s pension reform plan, praising her for having the courage to push a plan so in line with their principles. Now, I don’t want to bash the tea party; I think they’re mostly good, sincere folks. But I’ve heard their spokespeople testify at the Statehouse, I’m on their listserv, and I’ve been to their rallies, and never have I seen anything from them that persuaded me that their beliefs are very well informed or that their values are in any way representative of the interests of most mainstream Americans. It was, after all, only last summer that the Tea Party Caucus in D.C. nearly forced our country’s government to default. So, yes, if you’re a Democrat and your strongest ally on the pension issue is the Tea Party, I think that’s a situation that’s worthy of some inner-interrogation.
Another good question to ask yourself: why are you on the same side as a big business coalition (EngageRI) that has already pumped over half a million dollars into this debate and refuses to disclose its donors? Again, not to hate on big business, but I think most Democrats agree that the interests of major corporations are often not the same as the interests of working families. Along the same lines, most progressives believe that when big business uses its private wealth in unrestrained ways to influence policy, democracy can get a little shaky.
Of course, if you happen to be Karl Rove or another conservative Republican and you find yourself on the same side as the Tea Party and a bunch of corporate lobbyists, well, that’s probably where you ought to be. But if you identify as a Democrat, let alone a progressive Democrat, who disagrees with these groups on nearly every issue, then perhaps your stance on this particular subject is worth thinking through one more time.
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Comments:
pamela gencarella
9:20am on Friday, November 18, 2011
Perhaps your premise is wrong. Democrat does not equal progressive. As you have observed, many democrats have awakened to that realization, thankfully.
Christy Nadalin
12:49pm on Friday, November 18, 2011
Your analysis is thin. Perhaps the reason supporters include the tea party and business interests (and look more closely at reform supporters in RI -- far more small businesses than big) is because they are not interested in watching an unsustainable pension system bankrupt the state? You ingore the fact that the legislation was drafted by our Democrat treasurer and will be signed by our "progressive" governor.
Russ C
1:28pm on Friday, November 18, 2011
It's hard to view this as anything but running out of arguments. Guilt by association is all that's left? Aaron, many conservatives and Tea Partiers support free and fair elections. Perhaps progressives like you should reconsider that position as well?
Me, I learn what I can and make up my own mind. If that means I'm in the majority, all the better. If that means I stand alone, I will. THAT'S what it is to be a progressive.
john paycheck
1:45pm on Friday, November 18, 2011
man, you have to blaze your own trail. speak your own mind...develop your own opinions. are you an american first or a progressive first???
try to look at things more objectively//like do unions care a hoot about their members, the people that serve their members???
wait till you try to find a good job in this state. and then ask yourself why there are no good jobs here....
Michael Byrnes
6:52pm on Friday, November 18, 2011
Aaron,
Are you so ideologically challenged that if reality or facts do not fit your view of the world that you disregard reality and cling to your progressive vision? Maybe a little critical thinking would help you resolve your cognitive dissonance .
It could be that you have totally misjudged the tea party. N
Michael Trenn
8:26pm on Friday, November 18, 2011
Mr. Regunberg: I do not identify as a Democrat. When I was young, I did, but by the time I was back in this state as an adult, the RI Democrat Party was so liberal that I was disgusted. Democrats used to be God-fearing Patriots, just like Republicans. I don't recognize my father's Party any more; what with your love for the Occupunks and your political correctness. Democrats wanted good educations for poor kids when I was young, but now they deny Charter Schools to support Teachers' Unions. That said, I voted for Gina Raimondo as part of a split vote. I am very proud of that today.
J B
2:23am on Saturday, November 19, 2011
Sometimes dire consequences make action necessary. Disagreeing on particulars is one thing, Aaron, but it's pretty damn obvious that RI's state pension system posed an existential threat to the rest of the state's operations. The costs of maintaining the current situation were staggering and virtually guaranteed a dismantling of critical programs that current Rhode Islanders depend on.
Sure, something different could have been done with the pensions. But make no mistake, it would have had to have been of equal magnitude and soon. Nothing short of a total rebound in the housing market and a tech boom in RI that made Silicon Valley look like Topeka, Kansas within 6 months time would have changed that fact.