The New York Times doesn’t hesitate to recommend changes in the way our country is run. And not surprising considering the Times‘ leftism, those recommendations (with few exceptions) would do great harm to the country if implemented.
Two years ago, this widely touted newspaper turned some of its pages into a promotion for The 1619 Project, a lengthy study condemning the United States for systemic racism that, the study says, can be traced back to 1619, more than a century and a half prior to America’s founding. Any honest survey of the historical record would show that the claim is nonsense — that the great experiment in human liberty launched by the Founding Fathers put America on an anti-slavery trajectory. The real reason for falsely accusing America of being institutionally racist, never admitted of course, is to create hatred of America and racial division leading to the toppling of the American system.
Now in another step whose ultimate goal seems to be destruction of what’s left of the rule of law contained in the U.S. Constitution, the Times has chosen to treat its readers to an array of suggested changes for America to consider. In its November 7, 2021 Sunday edition, the Times included a 24-page supplement described as “featuring bold ideas to revitalize and renew the American experiment.” Page after page of Snap Out of It, America! offered suggestions (in the form of short articles by various authors) to accomplish the turnabout. Not surprisingly, most of these authors are professors at left-leaning colleges and universities.
Before presenting and commenting about the thoughts of some of these experts, this author would like to offer two basic truths for consideration: 1) America became great not because of what government did, but because of what government was prevented from doing by the Constitution; 2) the way to government overreach is not to scrape or change the Constitution but to abide by it, recognizing that any constitution will fail to limit government power if it is not abided by; and 3) black Americans are better off and can enjoy more freedom and prosperity than others almost anywhere on Earth. None of these basic assessments received deserved attention in “Snap Out of It!”
NYT’s Suggested Changes
Among the ambitious ideas offered, one can find numerous proposals that would increase government power, even threaten American independence. Consider the following:
• Northwestern University Professor Daniel Immerwahr would like to see enactment of the socialistic goals presented by Edward Bellamy in his 1888 book Looking Backward, 2000-1887. The reclusive Bellamy called for replacing capitalism with a welfare state, universal education, guaranteed incomes, supported retirement, and more.
• Columbia University Law School professor Kate Andrias wants to add a constitutional amendment protecting the rights of “all workers to form and join labor unions.” As history has shown, labor unions, benefitting from laws that favor labor unions over employers, become cheerleaders and facilitators for the Democratic Party and its socialist desires.
• Historian Jonathan Holloway, president of Rutgers University, calls for “a one-year long mandatory national service program for all … before they reach age 25.”
• Author Araxia Abrahamian suggests doing away with citizenship as a qualification for the right to vote. She summarized what her plan would accomplish: “Democrats are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries of this change.”
• Yale University Law Professor Samuel Moyn wants International law to be incorporated into American law. This, of course, would constitute a significant step toward world government.
• Shikha Dalmia is a fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He suggests that the federal government should cede its monopoly on immigration regulations and allow states to bring in workers at their discretion.
Perhaps the New York Times should be thanked for publishing its “Snap Out of It, America!” proposals, since they certainly reveal (once again!) the radical bent of the Times.
