"Who will save the South? Not the Koch brothers"

Who will save the South? Not the Koch brothers

by Rick Whittimore, Letter to the Editor, the Columbia Daily Herald

http://columbiadailyherald.com/opinion/letters-editor/who-will-save-south-not-koch-brothers

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Too often in the history of the 20th century the term socialism has been applied erroneously by those who oppose progress and equal opportunity. If they are fearful of legislation that is fair, reasonable and attainable through compromise, they call it socialism. They call Social Security socialism. Democratic presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Lyndon Johnson were responsible for successfully pressuring Congress to pass landmark legislation that has made us a more just and equitable society.

From the New Deal to the Great Society, we have witnessed such remarkable legislation as the Social Security Act, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Medicare, Medicaid and the Higher Education Act which, among other things, was the impetus for such local benefits as Columbia State Community College. Many of those responsible for writing, promoting and realizing this legislation were farsighted and creative statesmen from the South.

Last, but not least, is my great late union leader Walter Reuther, a man who fought for working people by going through living hell himself. Not only was he beaten to a pulp on one occasion, but also he and his brother were both shot in assassination attempts.

Yes, Corporate America was capable of doing such things to oppose the collective interests of workers. Despite the trials and tribulations, Reuther led the United Auto Workers in achieving some of the union’s greatest accomplishments for its own workers and those throughout the country. It was through his efforts that American workers achieved the 40-hour work week, cost of living adjustments, health care and occupational safety standards. More to the point, like the Texan Lyndon Johnson, Reuther was a son of the South, born in Wheeling, W. Va.

Many of the progressive leaders responsible for some of the most important legislation in our nation’s history were from the South. Naturally they understood how real people in the South lived. None of them was a socialist or a communist. They had the interests of the entire country and its citizens at heart.

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