My recent diary regarding the family in Tennessee that lost their home to a fire received a huge reaction from the community here. Much to my surprise by the way... thank you again.
I'd like to address a question about some of the arguments made in that discussion.
We can argue all day (obviously) about whether the inaction of the fire department was excusable or not, but I know that when all the dust settles most of us on the progressive side of the spectrum would agree that the problem here starts and stops with a broken system. In this case it is a county that doesn't have it's own fire service, for whatever reason, and a city fire department bound by a heartless policy to refuse response to individuals who haven't paid their fee. I think we can all agree that this is exactly why we push for progressive tax systems to pay for these good government services for everyone.
Several of the members commented that this family deserved what happened as a consequence of their perceived political ideals. Something along the lines of "Dumb teabagger, burned your own house down after refusing to pay for fire protection, how do you like your pay-to-play government now." A tough love kind of thing I guess.
My question is this:
If the progressive community wants to change people's minds about taxes and good government issues, does it further that cause to react to the suffering of an individual under a regressive system with an attitude of "you made your bed so sleep in it", or is it better to react with empathy and compassion to help those individuals and show them, and their neighbors, that progressives actually care about people and that their old ways of thinking may be wrong?
Using this particular incident as an example, I'd like to offer up the idea that we have a great opportunity here to show the people of Obion County Tennessee that liberals with progressive ideals are not the "bogey men" they thought we were. Perhaps the ideas of good government espoused by the left have a great deal of validity and shouldn't be tossed aside. You get more flies with honey, so to speak.
It's easy to disparage someone as a right-wing dope and leave them for the wolves, but if we're going to talk the talk of living as a community and helping one another, then we should damn well walk the walk. This country is suffering from years of abuse by obscenely wealthy people with access to a very effective propaganda machine. There are millions of people out there who simply don't get any other input except from those media outlets. If we can't take an opportunity to extend a hand to one of these folks in a time of dire need than what the hell are we here for? The people who know Gene and his family are livid about this situation, as they should be, and we should be a shining example of what liberalism really is and stand in solidarity with them. Then maybe, just maybe, it'll change a few minds.
Thanks to everyone for joining in the discussion earlier. I doubt this will get anywhere near that level of attention, which is fine, but I felt that I needed to say it.
UPDATE:
Which side are you on?
...And, for their trouble, the South Fulton fire department is being treated as though it has done something wrong, rather than having gone out of its way to make services available to people who did not have them before. The world is full of jerks, freeloaders, and ingrates — and the problems they create for themselves are their own. These free-riders have no more right to South Fulton’s firefighting services than people in Muleshoe, Texas, have to those of NYPD detectives.
Sound familiar?
As I said below, Keith Olbermann will have more on this tonight.