Civility, anyone?

Keywords Opinion
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Respect for others and civil discourse has taken a back seat to name-calling.

An example is [the Dec. 20] column by Keenan Hauke, in which he speaks about “the evil Mr. Greenspan,” who “foolishly” bailed out banks, and whose successor is “hell-bent” on the wrong course. In other words, [Alan] Greenspan and [Ben] Bernanke are stupid people.

Similar lack of respect, bordering on hate, appears routinely in broadcasts of Greg Garrison, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, who recently excoriated George Soros. The common thread is that individuals with whom we disagree are dumb, radical, un-American, out to destroy our nation, and “liberal” or “socialist,” both terms used pejoratively. A subtext is: “I am smarter than you.”

(Curiously, those advocating city operation of new parking meters would be “socialists,” which means community ownership of productive assets. Could “privatizationalists,” such as Gov. [Mitch] Daniels, be viewed as the opposite?)

Civility, respect for the experiences, knowledge and achievements of others, as well as acceptance of majority rule, hold us together. Let’s keep it that way.

__________

John Guy
President
Wealth Planning & Management LLC

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