OpEdNews - Page 2 of Article: Which of These Progressive Positions Are Extreme Left?

Is it extreme to oppose mining companies, land developers and timber and paper mills having priority over the biodiversity on this planet, so they are allowed to drive living things to extinction?

Is it extreme to feel outrage when legislators hand credit card companies usurious interest rates and de-regulation so they can lure consumers into debts with interest rates over 25% when the fed makes money almost free to banks?

Is it extreme left to believe that the constitution is a precious document-- that people who violate it's laws, even presidents a vice-presidents should be, at the least, investigated, that hearings be held?

Is it extreme to expect elected officials to do their jobs and prosecute political criminals, even if it is uncomfortable and may put some candidates at risk? The truth is that the opposite may be true. Doing the right thing could dramatically improve election odds.

Is it extreme to finally believe that there has been enough hate, bigotry and intolerance in the world and it is time for it to end?

Is it extreme to expect that liars and frauds who led us into a war that we should never have entered should be held accountable?

Is it extreme to believe that no company should be allowed to become so big that it can't be allowed to fail?

Is it extreme to believe that local media are important and huge media conglomerates that gobble up local newspapers and television stations are a big part of the reason that our mainstream media have failed us again and again in recent years and are now endangered?

Is it extreme to believe that government is a good thing for most people-- schools, police, roads, fire departments, social security, the Veterans Administration? Just imagine if privatizing of Social security had led to millions putting their social security funds into the IRAs, 401Ks and mutual funds that have been reduced so brutally by the ongoing economic crisis.

Is it extreme to expect legislators to lead and do the job of regulating rogue corporations or industries that engage in practices and policies that severely damage our economy, our international relations or put any aspect of our future at risk?

Is it extreme left to want Obama to appoint people who were not part of the problem, who didnt' support the war or enable the economic crisis as central players in the diseased system?

Is it extreme left to want to see the best and brightest appointed?

Which of these progressive ideas is too far left?

The left may disagree with the Christian right on birth control, abortion and gay marriage. But There are so many areas it's hard to imagine Christians opposing. In this past election, the majority of people whose incomes exceeded $200,000 voted for Obama. So even the wealthy chose his vision and message over lower taxes.

The corporatists and neocons are the only ones who would seem likely to oppose the issues raised above. There are so few of them. It's time for Americans of all parties to identify the areas we can agree on. It's time we tell the mainstream pundits and anchors who do what they can to keep us apart to shut up. It's time we tell the managers who run the mainstream media their companies are on the line-- that they have a responsibility to democracy and honest journalism to not only tell some of the truth but all of the truth, and that means opening the media up to voices that have long been silenced.

I think the above list is not left at all. It's moderate, centrist, and in no way extreme. The problem is, the opponents to these ideas have gone so far off the extreme right wing deep end, they THINK these are extreme, and the mainstream media have let them get away with it. So have the centrist Democratic pundits who emerged from the Clinton Administration, the same ones who apologized for the failure of Bill Clinton (after all, it was he who appointed Hillary) to get universal health care for our nation.

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