The problem with Progressivism

The United States was born out of conflict. Profound disagreement led to a war with tragic losses of life and property for the revolutionaries who put at stake their lives, fortunes and sacred honor.

The promise of progress was worth the risk even as many of the fledgling nation’s potential citizens fled north to Canada or returned to the United Kingdom. Similarly, during the Civil War, it became apparent that the evils of slavery could not stand, and the Union’s moral certitude required imposing progress.

From today’s vantage point, I can’t think of many who would disagree. It’s here, however, where the problem of progressivism takes root and where the goals diverge from current practice.

We would like to believe that the freedoms for which our fellow countrymen have died are so ingrained in society that they cannot be undone. Unfortunately, in my experience as a state senator, concepts like freedom of speech and expression are becoming less tolerable. We’re progressing toward a society that restricts these rights in favor of a skewed sense of “security.”

Progressivism seeks to cast off the valuable lessons of the past and our shared democratic values in favor of subjectivity and politics of power through the policing of language and thought. It’s unhealthy and unrealistic, and obscures the very real problems facing our state, distorting reality in favor of amplifying our differences. We can’t even have an honest discussion when confronted with cold, hard facts. Just look at the ongoing debate about public drug use and abuse, mental health and public safety.

Progress can and has been a good thing. My own beliefs have changed over time with a little experience and education. I have seen that, sometimes, life isn’t so simple. Rather than seeking to validate our own biases, we need to pause and reflect on how we view each other, grounded in the reality that how we view the world reflects a combination of genetics and life experience. Then we need to take time to listen.

Last year, King County suffered 1,000 deaths from overdose, a record-breaking 47% increase over last year. If everyone was 5 feet 6 inches tall and you laid them end to end, it would be over a mile of bodies. If you believe I am being morose, one of those was a family member. Shockingly, there were 7,000 administrations of Narcan. Can we yet agree this is a crisis in our society? These are human lives suffering or lost under Washington’s view of power progressivism.

We now have a starting point, and we must build on our common beliefs and understanding of reality, not inflexible ideology. We must refrain from forcing differing philosophies on each other, rather building consensus that isn’t clouded by emotion or worse, motivated by a desire to score political points. People are entitled to their own opinions, but when confronted with alternatives to our state’s current failing policies, we must be persuadable and face the reality that behavioral health and substance abuse is our state’s biggest problem.