Right-wing tries to plaster
Reagan's name on everything
By Pam
Parker
Washington, D.C.
The right wing champions the virtues of states' rights as
it consistently tramples on the wishes of the masses in a
given electorate. It forces its will on the people, not with
the subtlety of the Democrats, but in the brazen "let them
eat cake" kinda way that only the far right can pull off.
The Republican Party got less than 5 percent of the vote
in Washington, D.C., during the last presidential election.
There is an ongoing contentious relationship between the
citizenry and the congressionally appointed "Control Board"
that was installed to govern the city.
Most cars here are adorned with "Taxation without
Representation" vanity plates. There is clearly no love lost
between District of Columbia residents--who are mostly people
of color and progressive whites--and the "Gipperites" who
still uphold former President Ronald Reagan as their knight
of reaction.
But this does not deter these reactionaries from erecting
monuments to Ronald Reagan and plastering his name on
everything that they can.
The force behind this movement is the Legacy Project. The
group consists of Attorney General John Ashcroft, Newt
Gingrich, Sen. Jesse Helms, former Reagan speechwriter Peggy
Noonan, anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly and Virginia Gov. Jim
Gilmore. Rep. Bob Barr, Republican of Georgia, heads the
committee.
They have dedicated themselves to naming "something big"
for Reagan in every state and in every one of the 3,067
counties in the United States.
In a recent move Barr, a twice-divorced "family values"
zealot, threatened to withhold any future funding to
Metro--D.C.'s subway system--if it refused to rename the
National Airport stop "Ronald Reagan/ National Airport
station."
Barr demanded that the subway station be renamed to match
the airport that was named Reagan National Airport under an
act of Congress several years ago.
Metro, which would reportedly have to change its maps,
signs and all documents at an estimated cost of $400,000, has
so far resisted this move. But Barr vows to fight on.
People in Barr's home district of Smyrna, Ga., earn less
than half of what people earn in Fairfax County where the
Metro station in question is located. Wouldn't this
congressional politician's time and his constituents' money
be better spent working on the issues that affect the
residents of Smyrna?
Isn't there a law that strictly prohibits building
memorials to people until they've been dead for at least 25
years? When Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt died their
supporters had to wait 50 years for monuments. Hello? Mr.
Barr? The Gipper is still alive!
The project has so far put Reagan's name on an aircraft
carrier, a Florida turnpike, a freeway, a federal courthouse
in California, more than a dozen schools, an emergency room
in a hospital in D.C., and a district government
building.
Why not fund Alzheimer's research in his name, instead?
That is something that would help millions of people who
suffer with this debilitating disease or who love someone who
has suffered with it.
The 1980s may have been great for a wealthy few, but for
the vast majority of people they were a time of slashes in
student aid, soaring college costs and housing prices,
national debt and no jobs. This love-fest with the Gipper is
an outrage. Enough is enough!
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME
:: U.S. NEWS ::
WORLD NEWS ::
EDITORIALS
:: SUBSCRIBE ::
DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page