Equal Justice Society News

What is wrong with this picture? Everything -- unless you are one of Grover Norquist's friends. And this dire situation did not come about as the result of happenstance or bad national karma. There is a method to this madness.

There is a large part of American society that believes government can be a force for good: good schools, emergency government assistance in times of national disasters, health care for poor children and seniors, mass transit. Our government, using our tax dollars, can provide these necessary services and more to the citizenry.

But another segment views government as inherently evil. They consider taxes as government theft; families should provide schooling for children without government support; and society is not responsible for those who cannot afford food or shelter. This philosophy holds central government's only financial responsibility is national security.

This great ideological battle involves questions about the nature of humankind. Is social and economic Darwinisn and the law of the jungle what rule us? If you are unable to take care of yourself and your family, is that an indication of a grave moral failing on your part? Or, contrarily, are we all our brother and sister's keepers?

Gloria Steinem said that you could know the values of an individual and a society by how money is spent. Bush's recently unveiled budget, which once again rewards millionaires and burdens the poor and middle class, reveals the stark polarization of values in the United States.

Today, the United States finds itself involved in a life and death struggle about the role of government in civil society. As Lee Cokorinos points out in his column, those who currently control Congress are starving government of its vitality by cutting taxes and appropriating billions and billions of dollars to fund military misadventures. At the same time, programs are being cut that help people get enough to eat, pay for college tuition, buy prescription drugs, and get to work. This is not an accident.

Grover Norquist is famously quoted as saying of government, " We must starve the beast(government) until it is so weak, we can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub." His words came to life in a most grotesque way in New Orleans and the Gulf when the weakened federal agency charged with helping innocent victims of disasters, namely FEMA, was unable to perform its duty because Norquist's brutal philosophy had become public policy under the Bush presidency.

I learned of the deep philosophical divide at an informative retreat in Santa Cruz several years ago. I learned that there was a meeting in 1947 at Mt. Pelerin in Switzerland where those who did not believe that there was any role for government began planning how to turn their vision into reality. They felt that in an era of socialism and the New Deal that they were voices in the wilderness, yet they persevered. Today, we witness their ascent to power in the United States.

The EJS vision is the diametric opposite of the heirs of Mr. Pelerin. We believe that the values and interests of the majority must be the responsibility of our collective government. We believe that government has been and should continue to be a force for good: public school teachers should be paid well; health care should be available to all regardless of income; all of our families should have a place to live in safety and in peace. Instead of squandering our collective treasure on attack helicopters and lucrative war contracts for big oil and corporate America, we should redirect our funds to infant formula and textbooks.

In today's climate, we may often feel like the lone voices in the wilderness. But we know that most Americans, and for that matter, most of the humanity believes as we do.

The Equal Justice Society is examining how we as a society might have a robust discussion about the role of government. We know that there are many committed individuals and organizations that are also thinking about these fundamental questions. We count on all our supporters and allies - from universities and law schools, courtrooms and classrooms, advocacy and grassroots organizations -- to help us set a new vision, and chart a new course for our society.

As you will read below, we are launching a membership drive to strengthen EJS in these challenging times. Your financial and organizational support will help us make a real difference. Please join us and make our vision a reality.

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