Correspondent of the Day: Allen’s Ideology Distorts His View

Allen's Ideology Distorts His View
Editor, Times-Dispatch: George Allen's Commentary column, "A Summer of Rightful Discontent," is a good example of how ideology gets in the way of one's political judgment.

He praises equal opportunity but complains about big government, when in fact it is the Constitution, Supreme Court, and laws that have brought about equal opportunity.

He complains about the bailouts that most economists believe were absolutely necessary to avert the collapse of our financial institutions and which he seems to have forgotten were passed by the Bush administration. Most economists also believe that the Obama administration's stimulus package was necessary to avoid or at least lessen serious damage to the economy. Most economists argue that the main issue now is not deficits but too little consumption, not inflation but deflation. Recently the Obama administration announced that $70 billion of the bailout money has been repaid with interest and that soon another $50 billion will be repaid.

If Allen is opposed to cap-and-trade legislation, what are his proposals to deal with wasteful energy use, global warming, and our dependence on foreign oil? Offshore oil drilling raises serious environmental issues that Allen ignores.

He offers no serious health care alternative for dealing with real problems, such as "remote government bureaucrats" making medical decisions (now being made by remote private insurance bureaucrats).

He praises the American people for rising up at town meetings against their elected officials. Was it the American people who disrupted meetings by shouting down those who were trying to inject some civilized discourse into the proceedings?

Finally, three coal-fired power plants may be activated every month in China, but at what cost in terms of toxic emissions? Clean coal is desirable but expensive, which Allen ignores in calling for affordable, conventional coal power plants.

Arthur B. Gunlicks.
Richmond.