Show an Interest in Rights (9/28/03)
by Dean Hartwell
In listening to the candidates in California’s recall election, I couldn’t help but hear one line over and over. “The special interests have taken over Sacramento.”
Which “special interests” do they mean?
If they mean gays, women or non-whites, they ought to think twice. These interests groups only seek to attain the same rights as white heterosexual men.
We live in a society where heterosexuals may marry, but homosexuals may not. In some states, it is legal for an employer to fire someone for being gay.
We live in a society where the only right that the Constitution specifically guarantees equally to men and women is the right to vote. (Why We Need the Equal Rights Amendment)
We live in a society where treatment under the law is still not equal for non-whites. According to the Drug Policy Alliance, the average federal drug sentence for blacks rose to 49 percent higher than for whites after new federal laws addressing crack cocaine. (Race and the Drug War)
Thus, these groups have ordinary, not special, interests.
If they mean unions or Indian gaming casinos, they would have a better point. The unions/casinos agenda is not to achieve equality or a public good, but to get the best results possible for themselves.
We might consider union and casino interests to be special if we did not consider their right to bargain collectively. Without it, their status would be below ordinary.
On the other hand, if the politicians meant by special interests the gun owners, they would be on to something. This group, namely the National Rifle Association, wants the right to purchase weapons with a minimal amount of hassle.
That wouldn’t be a problem, except that enforcement of their rights of others. When we relax gun control measures, like waiting periods, we increase the chances that criminals will acquire guns and use them to commit crimes against the interests of others.
If the politicians meant the religious conservatives, they would hit the nail of special interests on the head. They not only want special rights for themselves (like prayer in public school and the teaching of creationism), they want fewer rights for others like gays and women.
The founder of “Promise Keepers,” a Christian men’s organization, for example, called homosexuality an “abomination.” The same group openly calls for wives to “submit” to their husbands (See Myths and Facts about the Promise Keepers).
Too often we use the term “special interest” to describe groups of people with whom we disagree. We ought instead to focus upon the rights and opportunities of all in society and ask ourselves whether they are equal.