Vivek R is living his ideas and values out loud. Are you?
How would you respond to his "Ten Commandments"?
I had never heard of Vivek Ramaswamy until about two weeks ago, but there he was on stage, “winning” last week’s Trump-free Republican debate.
Vivek illustrates how we are in a battle of ideas and values. He seems like a charlatan and wannabe autocrat who has a lot of dangerous and false ideas, but has done us the favor of publicizing his own “Ten Commandments” for his campaign. I disagree with him vehemently on every point, but he presents us a good opportunity to think about what our values are and how we would frame them. As Vivek is working hard to promote his ideas on a national stage, what are each of us doing to live our values out loud?
I don’t have a God complex that would lead me to author “Ten Commandments,” but here are my responses to VR. Think about your own!
The USA was built separation of church and state and freedom of religion—including the freedom from having other people’s religious mandates imposed on us.
I support people in the LGBTQIA+ community, and respect their identities.
Climate change is real, human-caused, and an existential threat to humanity. We need to transition away from fossil fuel consumption & carbon emissions immediately.
Racism is wrong.
The USA need to have a compassionate, just, and sensible immigration policy.
Children have a right to an education that tells them the truth about everything from science to history. They have a right to obtain a quality public education and access to libraries that is not censored by their parents.
A family is a set of relationships, not a “form of governance.” I support parenting that is nurturing and authoritative, NOT authoritarian. (I have a lot to say about this, will keep it brief here.)
Capitalism has both benefits and problems.
I don’t know what he means by his #9. I believe in the US Constitution.
[We might write the same words for #10 but surely mean different things by them!] The US Constitution should guarantee freedoms, define roles & responsibilities, and protect us from insurrectionists. Will it?
Thank you for this thoughtful set of values & concise take down of the danger that is posed by VK and others seeking jobs they should not have.