by Dean Hartwell
Recently, I had the good
fortune to visit with John Anderson, a candidate for President of the United
States in 1980. Now a law professor, he told me that he prefers to read
books by those with whom he disagrees. He says, "It keeps me alert
to what I read."
How fitting! When he
ran for president against Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, he kept the public
alert to trouble ahead unless the U.S. adopted policies that included
sacrifice. He said that tax increases would be necessary, both to raise
needed revenues and to curb dependency on Middle Eastern oil. He told
farmers that the best way to protest the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan
was not through force but through an embargo on the sale of grain to the
Soviets.
Given the budget deficits
and debts of the Reagan years, our decision under George H.W. Bush to fight a
war for oil against Iraq and the quiet end to the Cold War with the Soviet
Union, John now seems like a prophet.
Our conversation turned to
recent allegations of corporate fraud at Enron, Adelphia and other
companies. He points out that in many corporations, any shareholder can
ask to see the accounting records to monitor the corporation's financial
activities. He says we need more shareholders willing to complain.
Better yet, the concerned shareholders need to organize and take control of the
board of directors. That way, responsible people would be accountable to
those who hold stock. John says, "The next revolution is in the
corporate boardrooms!"
A constitutional law
professor, Anderson analyzed a recent Supreme Court decision on Internet
pornography. Though he agrees adults have the First Amendment right to
view pornography, he opines that this right should be sacrificed so as not to
be at the expense of exposing children to it. "We must balance
rights that conflict with one another" to protect impressionable youth.
As for foreign affairs, John
recalls the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. Instead of being the
president who elevated the rights of minorities, LBJ is remembered as the
Vietnam War president. John believes the current President Bush should
take heed that the public stops supporting a war "when body bags start
coming home."
Some may disagree with John Anderson's analysis of current events. At the very least they should feel alerted to an independent view of political matters. Or, perhaps, they'll find that his prophecies today become the realities of tomorrow.