Hanson's column on Hillary Clinton is 'conspiracy theory on steroids': Letter to the editor
I understand and appreciate a newspaper’s goal of providing us readers with contrasting viewpoints so, presumably, we can pick and choose from among competing ideas those that resonate. Hopefully, the end result is that we are better educated about ourselves and what’s happening locally, nationally, and globally; better able to make smarter decisions about public policy and who we elect. We can sort the wheat from the chaff.
Accordingly, I suffer Cal Thomas and John Hood, whose columns routinely disparage government “meddling,” especially if it will raise taxes, without any meaningful analysis of whether the government might in fact be accomplishing something of value that the so-called private sector is unable or unwilling to provide. Take a look at the Scandinavian countries and decide for yourself whether higher taxes might actually contribute to an improved quality of life.
This kind of mindset is perhaps best crystallized in Ronald Reagan’s infamous pronouncement: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” It’s not that government sometimes screws up (as we all do). The message is that government is evil, a message that has metastasized into the anti-government, anti-intellectualism that threatens our ability to deal effectively with the threats confronting us today that are truly terrifying.
And then there is Victor Davis Hanson, whose column in The Dispatch, “Hillary Clinton’s greatest masterpiece,” exceeds my capacity for tolerance. You don’t have to be a defender of Hillary (I’m not) and/or acolyte of Donald Trump to be repelled by the lies, distortions, and outlandish logic depressingly displayed in this diatribe. It is conspiracy theory on steroids, barely removed from QAnon craziness.
Publishing Hanson’s piece without disclaimer or correction only serves to spread the virus that so infects our current public discourse.
STEVE FLETCHER
Lexington
This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: Reader says Hanson's column on Hillary Clinton needs to be rectified
