Letter: Regressive time machine | Idaho Statesman

For the sake of clarity, we must differentiate between factions within conservatism. Traditional conservatism believes that governmental revenues and regulations be used conservatively, that our national resources and military treasure be used cautiously and that our personal freedoms be guarded judiciously (values also shared by liberals).

There also exists another sect within conservatism called ‘regressivism’. This philosophy embraces regression and returning to illusory perceptions of the past.

Regressivism seeks to transport us back to the pre-EPA/FDA/ACA days when pollution, faulty drugs, food pathogens, and lack of medical care killed more Americans annually than most wars; reinstitute the ’50s-type immigrant roundups, ’60s border-wall craze, and exclusionary Jim Crowe laws all to retain their white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant power base; return to pre-Federal Reserve days when recessions and bank runs were the norm; relegate women’s constitutionally protected reproductive rights back to the whims of religious philosophers; eliminate the Department of Education, thereby discarding new and consistent education practices needed for our children’s global competitiveness.

I am a progressive conservative and desire a safe, smart, fair and progressive country for my grandchildren to live in. Listen to the debates to see if you can identify the Regressives.

Al Baun, Boise