TruthOut10
Active Member
- Dec 3, 2012
- 627
- 100
- 28
High noon? I wont be shoved
Theres a point in the movie High Noon when Gary Cooper says to his deputy, Dont shove me, Harv. Im tired of being shoved. I was reminded of that line this week when I received a letter from a radical hedge fund billionaire threatening to launch an attack on me if I didnt accede to his demands by high noon on Friday. Tom Steyer of California is demanding that I either repudiate my support for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, or secure a commitment from TransCanada that all the oil in the pipeline be kept in the United States a violation of US treaty obligations.
While most people in Massachusetts are worried about whether they can pay their rent or their student loans next month, out-of-state billionaires like Steyer spend tens of millions more than most working people will earn in their entire lifetime telling them how to vote. I think most Americans are tired of being shoved.
No longer are we allowed to debate ideas and projects on their individual merits. We must begin each debate as committed ideologues for one side, or face the wrath of angry activists on the other. We are constantly shoved. Thats a problem, not just for Washington, but also for Americas future. Blame for the division in this country has been laid, in many cases rightfully so, at the feet of Congress and the White House. But there is a more insidious problem in this country, and its tearing at the very fabric of our legacy: inequality.
The Declaration of Independence claims that all men are created equal. For more than 200 years, we have worked to make that claim true. We abolished slavery, gave women the vote, passed the civil rights act, enacted the Lilly Ledbetter Act, and soon, hopefully, will repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Despite all these advances, an enormous inequality remains in this country between the powerful and the powerless. Billionaires like Tom Steyer or the Koch brothers can spend endless amounts of money to push their personal agendas, while working families barely cling to the hope of a comfortable retirement and better opportunities for their children. When did the rich decide that their voices were more important than the voices of the rest of the American people?
Stephen Lynch responds to Tom Steyer ultimatum on Keystone pipeline - Opinion - The Boston Globe
Theres a point in the movie High Noon when Gary Cooper says to his deputy, Dont shove me, Harv. Im tired of being shoved. I was reminded of that line this week when I received a letter from a radical hedge fund billionaire threatening to launch an attack on me if I didnt accede to his demands by high noon on Friday. Tom Steyer of California is demanding that I either repudiate my support for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, or secure a commitment from TransCanada that all the oil in the pipeline be kept in the United States a violation of US treaty obligations.
While most people in Massachusetts are worried about whether they can pay their rent or their student loans next month, out-of-state billionaires like Steyer spend tens of millions more than most working people will earn in their entire lifetime telling them how to vote. I think most Americans are tired of being shoved.
No longer are we allowed to debate ideas and projects on their individual merits. We must begin each debate as committed ideologues for one side, or face the wrath of angry activists on the other. We are constantly shoved. Thats a problem, not just for Washington, but also for Americas future. Blame for the division in this country has been laid, in many cases rightfully so, at the feet of Congress and the White House. But there is a more insidious problem in this country, and its tearing at the very fabric of our legacy: inequality.
The Declaration of Independence claims that all men are created equal. For more than 200 years, we have worked to make that claim true. We abolished slavery, gave women the vote, passed the civil rights act, enacted the Lilly Ledbetter Act, and soon, hopefully, will repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Despite all these advances, an enormous inequality remains in this country between the powerful and the powerless. Billionaires like Tom Steyer or the Koch brothers can spend endless amounts of money to push their personal agendas, while working families barely cling to the hope of a comfortable retirement and better opportunities for their children. When did the rich decide that their voices were more important than the voices of the rest of the American people?
Stephen Lynch responds to Tom Steyer ultimatum on Keystone pipeline - Opinion - The Boston Globe
