I can change my mind. I don’t write this column for the choir. The first letter to the editor I ever wrote was to the Piedmont Times next to Oakland. I was fervently defending Angela Davis, a Black Panther accused of murder. To oppose a war waged by the establishment against communists, I was a communist.
Once I quit college and the support of my dad, I looked at things differently. Murder seemed like a harsh way to change the world. Even if the world needed change in the worst way.
I admit, I’ve been sort of a far-right zealot for a few years now. But I’ve changed my mind again. Something snapped when I heard Supreme Court nominee Katanji Brown Jackson say she didn’t know what a woman was. I thought that it took a lot of guts and true objectivity to admit that lack of knowledge. It opened up a huge can of worms and caused me to look deep within myself and rethink some long term assumptions.
Medicare began in 1964. I wrongfully assumed that the lack of competition resulting from that caused the spike in medical costs. Medicare just didn’t go far enough.
As I do my bell ringing outside Fareway at Christmastime, I see shopping carts coming out with piles of pop and junk food. Fareway has employees to push the carts because the shoppers carry so much weight it is a struggle for them. People drive a block to get groceries.
I propose an all-out health war. There’s no excuse for ignoring the healthcare crisis any longer. Science says active people who eat well cost society less.
Sows and milk cows have chips or ear tags that regulate what food they can eat. Let’s take a clue from a market based industry. As a shopper goes through the store a chip can electronically identify what foods will be detrimental according to a diagnostic tool built into the chip. The card, or whatever currency is allowed, will then not let at-risk people buy those items.
If a person spends too much time in front of the TV or playing cards or reading, a mild shock or subconscious suggestion will be delivered until they go to the gym. If their treadmill slows too much, watch out.
My radical right positions were also challenged with the recent death of Madeleine Albright. I’m reminded of her heroic words to Leslie Stall on 60 Minutes. She said that a half a million dead children were worth it regarding our police action in Iraq. Since the ultimate issue regarding the climate is that there are too many people in the world, our sanctions on Iraq did what sanctions always do, reduce population without stifling thriving industries. As a Johnny-come-lately to environmental awareness, I see Albright as much brighter than we ever realized.
Another issue where I’ve seen the light is gun control. If controlling what people eat and do is possible, stopping gun violence shouldn’t be such a difficult task, especially with most of those guns being located in cities. We’ve got scores of military personnel who have returned from the Middle East who have honed their skills in search and seizure. Imagine, one city at a time, a sweep with metal detectors finding every single gun. It would be dangerous work but our guys are up to it.
Capitalism has nearly been tried and is failing miserably. With massive increases in government control at home we can make the world a better place. And as soon as we’ve gotten “our house” in order, we can begin moving through India and China. An emissions free and violence free world is just a firm commitment away.
April Fools!
Any response to The Alternative may be sent as a letter to the editor or to my email address: 4selfgovernment@gmail.com. My blog: www.alternativebyfritz.com is updated often with music, memes, and whatever comes to mind. It’s diverse, like the universities claim to be.
