Fairness

No one disagrees with fairness on its face—but progressives take this value seriously and “conservatives” do not.  We work to build a just society, while recognizing that life is not always fair.  They simply say “life’s not fair,” throw up their hands, and give up trying.  Or, worse, they ascribe moral worth to random characteristics—pretending that some “deserved” to be born rich, for example.

What is Fair?

Everyone has his or her own gut definition of what’s fair: a level playing field with no special favors from the referee, an equal shot at success, maybe giving those who lag behind through no fault of their own the help they need.

At its core, to us fairness means holding people accountable for what they can control and not penalizing them for what they cannot.  Almost everyone would agree that people should be rewarded or punished for their own purposeful actions, but not for events beyond their control (sidestepping for the moment any complex discussion of free will).  This explains our different visceral reactions to the following situations:

    -child develops cancer from drinking water;
    -rapist/murderer goes free;
    -drunk driver puts others at risk and is caught and sent to jail;
    -person is killed randomly by a tornado;
    -hiker ignores guide’s warning and is injured on dangerous path.

We tend to feel that justice is served when people are held responsible for their actions.  We cringe when either someone is punished for something beyond her control, or when someone “gets away” with harming society and isn’t held to account.

Taking Fairness Seriously is a Core Progressive Value

A central difference between progressives and “conservatives” is that we don’t just claim to believe in fairness—we take it seriously.  Conservatives talk a lot about equal opportunity, but too often they mean the equal “opportunity” to be born rich, white, male, and heterosexual.  When it comes to policies that would truly level the playing field for those disadvantaged through no fault of their own, right wing politicians turn a blind eye.

Progressives, on the other hand, pursue policies that provide equal opportunity and hold accountable those who would pursue private gain at public expense.  Taking fairness seriously requires:

Investing in a quality education system so that every American child starts life with an equal shot at success.
How can we claim to be the land of equal opportunity when some children enjoy small classes, world class facilities, and highly educated teachers; whereas others are crowded into decrepit buildings without enough textbooks and forced to learn from incompetent instructors?  Progressives support investing in public education and equalizing resources; conservatives do not.

Re-balancing our economy. 
For more than twenty years, corporate CEOs have received extravagant pay raises while average wages have remained flat—or even declined—in real terms.  Creating an economy in which everyone who works hard and does her part shares in growth and prosperity is fair.  Allowing the wealthy minority to monopolize gains through windfall profits is not.  Progressives fight for balancing our economy through progressive taxation, worker protections, workplace democracy, and other measures.  “Conservative” politicians work to protect the pocketbooks of America’s corporate class.

Fighting aristocracy by limiting the transference of wealth across generations. 
Few people actively believe that anyone should be punished for poverty at birth.  After all, how can a child be responsible for his situation?  Well, it works the other way too.  Children of wealthy families don’t “deserve” their windfall inheritance any more than poor children are at fault for family debt.  A strong inheritance tax serves social justice and prevents class divisions from widening over the generations.  Right-wing conservatives have been on a mission to eliminate the inheritance tax for decades.

Cracking down on polluters and other corporate outlaws. 
Reaping great benefits while imposing serious costs on others without their consent is not fair.  This is exactly what polluters and other corporate outlaws do every day.  Whether it’s GE creating Superfund sites and leaving cancer-struck communities to deal with the fallout, or Blackwater USA wasting taxpayer dollars in Iraq, executives ride to the bank on the backs of average citizens.  Progressives are leading the fight to crack down on lawless polluters, out-of-control military contractors, and other bad actors.  Law and order “conservatives” have been notoriously lax when it comes to enforcing common-sense laws against their corporate cronies.

Providing every citizen with an equal political voice. 
Perhaps the most elemental aspect of overall fairness is basic political equality.  We know that outcomes will vary in society (i.e. some will be more successful than others), but we can accept this more easily if everyone was able to participate equally in setting the rules of the game.  When the size of one’s wallet determines the strength of his voice in our democracy, when those who experience economic success are able to translate this directly into political power, all substantive outcomes are thrown into question.  Progressives are fighting for political equality through sensible campaign finance laws and ensuring that voting is easier and ballots are counted properly.  The right-wing has fought democratic reforms every step of the way.

Because the vast majority of Americans share a basic sense of fairness and decency, pursuing policies that build a just society isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s also the best way to organize our fellow citizens.  When we hold fairness up as a core value, we speak to the “better angels of our nature,” as Lincoln once said.