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Right from left is hard to figure
(by Dave Lange - October 20, 2010)
COUNTY LINE, BY DAVE LANGE
Right from left is hard to figure
As an observer of politics who often is confused by the dichotomy between conservatism and liberalism, I am especially perplexed over how they apply to the upcoming election.
With most candidates attaching either a "D" or an "R" to their political identities, and some of them adding a little "tea" to the mix, their tilts to the left or the right may seem to be evident. But I'm not so sure.
Take the issue of Cuyahoga County government reform, for example, which voters in the predominantly Democratic county approved last November after being persuaded to do so by a Republican-dominated political junta and its corporate media cheerleaders.
On Nov. 2, those same voters will elect a county executive and 11 County Council district representatives to replace the traditional three elected county commissioners. Going from three elected politicians to 12 elected politicians is a bold move toward bigger government, and big government, of course, generally is associated with liberalism.
But hold on. The positions of county auditor, coroner, engineer, recorder, sheriff and treasurer no longer will be elected by a popular vote of the citizenry -- although, for some strange reason, the county prosecutor will be. Those positions, with minimal consolidation, will be appointed by the new county executive. So county government will become less democratic and more republican, which generally equates to conservative. At least the Republicans seem to hope so.
Moving along to Orange Village, the ballot features a referendum vote on whether the mayor and majority of Village Council should proceed with their plan to purchase the former St. Margaret of Hungary Church property next to Village Hall for parkland expansion and future use by the service department. The citizens of Orange are exercising their First Amendment right to petition the government for a redress of grievances -- one of the most liberal concepts in the history of mankind.
But if those citizens succeed in negating the purchase agreement, they will ratify the much-ballyhooed but rarely realized conservative espousal of reduced government spending -- $940,000 in this case. Conserving green space for public parks, after all, is not conservative. And, perhaps, saving up for a long-stated goal, as Orange has done to construct a new service building, isn't either. Furthermore, providing government services such as trash collection and snowplowing for the general public good at taxpayers' expense is quite liberal, even socialistic.
In Geauga County, the "Stop double-dipping Dave" signs popping up along roadsides are directed at Geauga County Court of Common Pleas Judge David L. Fuhry and his collection of a public pension while continuing to work on the government payroll. Generous public-employee retirement plans are a favorite target of conservative criticism, and "double dipping" by those who "retire" to dip into their pensions and then get "rehired" is considered a liberal abomination. But Judge Fuhry, who is running for re-election, just happens to be a Republican, and his assailants are Democrats.
The Village of South Russell, where I happen to work, wants voters to raise the municipal income tax from 1 percent to 1.25 percent. Being opposed to raising my own taxes, I must be a certifiable conservative. But sometimes there's nothing I can do about tax-and-spend liberals.
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