[Jud, I sure wish the GOP would pay attention to the egregious affronts New Castle Countians suffer resulting from Chris Coons' land use department]Chris Coons: "The making of a Bearded Marxist"
By Chris Coons
"College is supposed to be a time of change, a time to question our assumption about the world and define our basic values. For me, the transformations of the last few years have been especially acute. I came to Amherst from a fairly sheltered, privileged, and politically conservative background. I campaigned for Reagan in 1980, and spent the summer after freshman year working for Senator Roth (of Kemp-Roth tax-cut fame.) In the fall of 1983, I was a proud founding member of the Amherst College Republicans. In November 1984, I represented the Amherst Democrats in a hotly contested pre-election debate against my former roommates, co-founders and leaders of the Republicans. As the debate progressed it became obvious how unreconcilably different our opinions had become. What caused such a shift in only one year?I spent the spring of my junior year in Africa on the St. Lawrence Kenya Study Program. Going to Kenya was one of the few real decisions I have made; my friends, family, and professors all advised against it, but I went anyway, My friends now joke that something about Kenya, maybe a strange diet, or the tropical sun, changed my personality; Africa to them seems a catalytic converter that takes in clean-shaven, clear thinking Americans and sends back Bearded Marxists.
The point that others ignore is that I was ready to change. Experiences at Amherst my first two years made me skeptical and uncomfortable with Republicanism, enough so that I wanted to see the Third World for myself to get some perspective on my beliefs. Certainly Kenya provided a needed catalyst; I saw there poverty, and oppression more naked than any in America, and I studied under a bright and eloquent Marxist professor at the University of Nairobi. Nevertheless, it is only too easy to return from Africa glad to be an American and smugly thankful for our wealth and freedom. Instead, Amherst had taught me to question, so in return I questioned Amherst, and America.
When I first arrived at Amherst, I was somewhat of a Republican fanatic. I fit Churchill’s description, namely, that a fanatic is “Someone who can’t change their mind, and won't change the subject.” While other freshman share care packages from home, I was equally generous with my inherited political opinions giving them to anyone who would listen. It was in this manner that I soon met a creature I had never known before—a Democrat, several of them. Some of the “Leftists” that I met early on were terrifyingly persuasive, although I never admitted that. A few became my friends and provided a constant nagging backdrop of doubt, for which I am now grateful.
More importantly, during sophomore year, several professors challenged the basic assumptions about America and the world relations with which I had grown up. Cultural Anthropology inspired a fascination with other peoples, and undermined the accepted value of progress and the cultural superiority of the West. In examining the role of myths in “primitive” cultures, we also studied the myth of equal opportunity in this country, a myth I had never questioned. A course on the Vietnam War painted in gory detail a picture of horrible failures made possible by American hubris and dogmatism. I came to suspect, through these and other courses, that the ideal of America as “a beacon of freedom and justice, providing hope for the world” was not exactly based in reality. So, I went to Africa, hungry for a break from Amherst and eager to gain some broader political insight from the brutally real world. What do other nations think of us? Can private enterprise and democracy solve the problems of developing nations? Is Marxism an evil ideology, leading millions into totalitarian slavery? These were some of the questions in the back of my mind as I left for Kenya.
What I learned in Africa unsettled me. I saw the deprivation and oppression of the poor and the politically disfavored in a way not possible in the U.S. In Kenya, my position was not at stake; I was not directly benefiting if the underprivileged had little hope of advancement. I lived with the struggling African family for a month and came to know the hardships that they face. What surprised me was the attitude of the elite; I became friends with a very wealthy businessman and his family and heard them reiterate the same beliefs held by many Americans; the poor are poor because they are lazy, slovenly, uneducated. “Kenya is a land of opportunity,” they said, “those who work receive their just reward.” I knew this was not true in the case of many black Kenyans; this story merely served to justify the position of many who had done well only by working for the British colonialists. I realize that Kenya and America are very different, but experiences like this warned me that my own favorite beliefs in the miracles of free enterprise and the boundless opportunity to be had in America might be largely untrue.
When I returned last summer, I traveled all over the East Coast and saw in many ways a different America. Upon arriving at Amherst this fall, I felt like a freshman at an unfamiliar school all over again. Many of the questions raised by my experiences of the last year remained unanswered. I have spent my senior year reexamining my ideas and have returned to loving America, but in the way of one who has realized its faults and failures and still believes in its promise. The greatest value of Amherst for me, then, has been the role it played in allowing me to question, and to think. I had to see the slums of Nairobi before the slums of New York meant anything at all, but with out the experiences of Amherst, I never would have seen either."
Meanwhile, more from the National Republican Senatorial Committee:
“Chris Coons squandered the largest budget surplus in New Castle County history and then left county taxpayers with the bill. In fact, after promising not to raise taxes, Coons was responsible for the largest property tax hike New Castle County residents had ever seen,” - State Party Chair, Tom Ross
As Democrat Chris Coons (D-DE) formally declares his candidacy for the U.S. Senate today, Delaware voters are reminded of Coons’ tax-and-spend record that nearly bankrupted New Castle County.
As County Executive , Coons raised property taxes three times and supported a litany of other taxes on families and businesses – from a new hotel tax to a tax on 911 emergency calls. In just one term as County Executive, Coons’ tax-and-spend agenda took the county’s financial health from what Coons called “fundamentally sound” in 2005 to the verge of bankruptcy. As Coons himself admitted, the county was “months from being out of money – unable to operate” under his watch in 2009.
“Through massive taxes and spending, Chris Coons nearly led the families of New Castle County off a financial cliff. Now Coons wants to bring his tax-and-spend record to Washington so he can rubberstamp the Democrats’ failed economic agenda. Delaware families deserve an independent-minded Senator who will fight for checks and balances in Washington , and there’s no doubt that voters will hold Coons accountable for his reckless fiscal record this November,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokeswoman Amber Marchand.
Background Information:
Coons Led New Castle County To The Verge Of Bankruptcy:
2009: “‘We’re 18 Months From Being Out Of Money -- Unable To Operate, Not To Use The “B” Word,’ Coons Said, In A Reference To Bankruptcy.” (Jeff Montgomery, “Sobering Challenges Reflected In Speeches,” The [ Wilmington , DE ] News Journal, 1/22/09)
2005: Coons Called The County’s Economic Health “Fundamentally Sound.” (Angie Basiouny, “NCCo Exec Proposes Reining In Spending,” The [ Wilmington , DE ] News Journal, 3/30/05)On The Campaign Trail, Coons Promised Not To Raise The Property Tax: Coons Claimed His Top Priority Would Be To Continue Balancing The Budget Without Increasing Property Taxes. (Cris Barrish, “Coons Sinks Freebery, Says Honor To Return,” The [ Wilmington , DE ] News Journal, 9/12/04)
While Campaigning For County Executive In 2004, Coons Promised Not To Raise Property Taxes. (Charlotte Hale, “New Executive Faces Financial Challenges,” The [ Wilmington , DE ] News Journal, 10/23/04)
Coons Raised Property Taxes Three Times As County Executive . (Angie Basiouny, “Coons’ 2010 Proposal Hits Hard -- And Broad,” The [ Wilmington , DE ] News Journal, 3/18/09; Chris Coons, Op-Ed, “‘Responsible’ NCCo Budget Calls For Shared Sacrifice,” The [ Wilmington , DE ] News Journal, 5/23/09; Alison Kepner, “Residents Say Tax Hike Small, But Express Fears For Future,” The [ Wilmington , DE ] News Journal, 5/16/06)
Coons Proposed Many Other Taxes:
Coons Lobbied The State Legislature For A 911 Tax, A Hotel Tax And A Paramedic Tax. (Angie Basiouny, “Tax Hike, Deep Cuts In Store For NCCo,” The [Wilmington, DE] News Journal, 3/17/07; Ron Williams, “There’s More Than One Tax Hike Proposed For NCCo,” The [Wilmington, DE] News Journal, 3/21/07; Ron Williams, Op-Ed, “Using Telephone Bills To Raise Tax Income Is Sneaky,” The [Wilmington, DE] News Journal, 4/15/07; Ron Williams, “There’s More Than One Tax Hike Proposed For NCCo,” The [Wilmington, DE] News Journal, 3/21/07)
Coons Proposed Raising The Sewer Tax Almost Every Year. (Adam Taylor, “Coons Proposes Layoffs,” The [Wilmington, DE] News Journal, 3/17/10; Angie Basiouny, “Coons’ 2010 Proposal Hits Hard -- And Broad,” The [Wilmington, DE] News Journal, 3/18/09; Angie Basiouny, “Coons To Propose Sewer Rate Increase,” The [Wilmington, DE] News Journal, 3/20/08; “Around Delaware,” The [Wilmington, DE] News Journal, 3/22/06; Angie Basiouny, “NCCo Exec Proposes Reining In Spending,” The [Wilmington, DE] News Journal, 3/30/05)
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