Lonzie Cox, Jr. – 3/8/05

This page was last updated on March 17, 2005.

Dump Bush’s front man; Lonzie Cox, Jr.; Beaver County Times; March 8, 2005. I am not related to Mr. Cox.

Mr. Cox takes a break from race-related letters.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“I hope Wednesday’s editorial reference to Pennsylvania Democrats as allies of U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum was purposely overstated (‘Keystone Cops: When election time rolls around, Santorum can rely on Democrats for help’).

“It should be evident to all areas of our state that Rick Santorum’s time as U.S. senator has been very bad for the people who live here. Our loss of jobs has continued and there is no evidence that Santorum has any idea as to how to stop further damage to the state’s economy.”

[RWC] What Mr. Cox ignores is that the U.S. economy is growing and so are U.S. jobs. Pennsylvania’s economic problems are not the result of federal policies; PA economic problems are self-inflicted. The folks to blame for PA’s economic woes are the Democrats and Republicans in Harrisburg enamored of big government and a government-directed economy. Let’s also not forget the voters who continue to put these people in office.

“When Santorum defeated Harris Wofford, I knew we had taken a big hit. Wofford was a progressive liberal who understood that labor had a right to unionize, and that everyone, regardless of race or sex, had a right to equal access to jobs, education, decent housing and other basic rights.”

[RWC] Isn’t “progressive liberal” redundant? In this context, “progressive” and “liberal” are synonyms, along with “Marxist” and “socialist.” Mr. Cox could also have written “liberal liberal,” “Marxist liberal,” or “socialist liberal.” Perhaps the redundancy was Mr. Cox’s way of telling us he believes Mr. Wofford was an “ultra liberal.”

Note that Mr. Cox uses the term “labor” instead of “worker.” “Labor” and “worker” are not synonyms. Labor refers to the management of the businesses commonly referred to as labor unions.

When Mr. Cox wrote about a “right to unionize,” that’s not what he meant. When socialists refer to a “right to unionize,” they really mean, “forced to join a union.” Given that Pennsylvania is a closed shop state, I don’t know what Mr. Cox is complaining about.

I’m not sure what Mr. Cox means when he uses the term “access” in this context, though I’ll guess. Based on his previous letters and his obvious economic, political, and social leanings, Mr. Cox means “equal outcome,” not “equal opportunity.”

“As a conservative, Santorum is against these ideas.”

[RWC] Apparently Mr. Cox doesn’t know the first thing about conservatives. I can’t speak for Mr. Santorum, but conservatives tend to believe in equal opportunity in all areas. Liberals, on the other hand, tend to believe in equal outcome as defined by liberals and enforced by government.

“In 2000, many definitely felt we needed then-U.S. Rep. Ron Klink to defeat Santorum in order to restore some order to our congressional delegation. Instead, Klink was defeated and the congressional seat he (Klink) vacated went to the ultra-conservative Melissa Hart.”

[RWC] Apparently Mr. Cox’s “many” were a minority.

What does Mr. Cox mean by “restore some order to our congressional delegation?”

Rep. Hart is an “ultra conservative?” What is an “ultra conservative?” Earth to Mr. Cox; though Ms. Hart runs as a Republican, I believe she’s a borderline conservative at best. I’m not picking on Ms. Hart; with a few exceptions, elected PA Republicans tend to be similar to Democrats of the 1950s and early 1960s. If Mr. Cox truly believes Ms. Hart – or Mr. Santorum for that matter – is an “ultra conservative,” he’s pretty far left on the economic, political, and social spectrum. From his vantage point, Karl Marx would likely appear to be a “moderate liberal,” if there is such a thing.

“That was a double tragedy.

“Democratic leaders can lead or follow this time around. It’s up to them.”

[RWC] Mr. Cox misuses “Democratic.” He should have written “Democrat.” There’s nothing democratic about the Democrat Party.

“The individual voter must take charge in this election to defeat Santorum.

“It’s now or never. He does nothing for Pennsylvania. Santorum is nothing but a front man for George W. Bush’s attacks on Social Security, public schools and individual rights.”

[RWC] Mr. Cox says Mr. Santorum “does nothing for Pennsylvania,” yet never says what he wants Mr. Santorum to do except lose the election.

Note the “drive by” bashing of President Bush. The feds can’t attack public schools because the feds have no Constitutional power over public schools. Mr. Cox forgets Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) co-wrote the No Child Left Behind Act. Mr. Cox doesn’t describe how President Bush attacks “individual rights.” He also doesn’t describe how President Bush is attacking Socialist Security. Many of the Socialist Security proposals now made by President Bush were made by Democrats in the late 1990s. The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) was a proponent of personal accounts.