Elana Levin

Letter to the Editor of the Week (goes west)!

Here's a letter to the editor from The Seattle Times that expresses something I've seen in my discussions with friends. Reflective conservatives can be lead to see why a piece of progressive policy achieves a desirable outcome if you take the time to explain it to them. My Republican friend called me yesterday to say how the recent NYT Magazine story on living wage campaigns lead him to change his mind and support them too. Simply reading the fact that raising the minimum wage does not lead to job loss made him change his mind. Ahh facts.

For suggesting a columist consider policy outside his party's box-
Michael Dohan of Seattle, I salute you!
(especially for that last paragraph)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

As an independent, I am looking for progress, not party lines. The first several Jonah Goldberg columns [were] more like fundraising letters to the conservative base than pieces to advance understanding of the conservative position.

His most recent column ["Hey, folks - it's what I do," syndicated column, Feb. 22] was actually worth reading. His explanation of his loyalty to the GOP as dependent on how successful it is in moving the political climate toward fiscal restraint, limited government and cultural decency was also instructive.

Goldberg might actually be a fiscally conservative Democrat and just not know it (or creative enough to see how "left-leaning" policies get him what he wants). A careful, honest and dogma-free evaluation of nationalizing basic health care would show how it would ease a major burden on businesses: similar to the conservative position that tax cuts to the wealthiest generate increased economic growth, it would eliminate a multitude of overlapping and expensive government programs and it would do so in a way that is culturally decent.

-- Michael Dohan, Seattle

Elana Levin: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 10:45 AM, Feb 24, 2006 in Media
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