The Salt Lake Tribune -- IVINS: In the Age of Corporatism, Liberals Are the New Conservatives

Readin' the newspapers anymore is eerily reminiscent of all those bad novels warning of the advent of fascism in America.

For those who relish irony, there's a comical extent to which liberals are the new conservatives, exactly where the old principled Republicans used to be -- reluctant to get involved in foreign wars, suspicious of foreign entanglements, harping on fiscal responsibility and worried about constitutional freedoms.

It is inarguable that this is the most anti-environmental administration since before Teddy Roosevelt. The corporatists in this administration, particularly those from the oil bidness, apparently have some grand imperialist schemes to keep us in cheap oil indefinitely.

As a matter of foreign and environmental policy, it makes a lot more sense to lay rail, promote renewable energy and get serious about conserving oil. We subsidize the hell out of the oil bidness with innumerable tax breaks, loopholes and support programs. For heaven's sake, why not support renewable energy, instead? Why should we ask our military to die for cheap oil when the rest of us aren't even being asked to get better mileage?

As I keep harping on, these are not the old Republicans, these are the new Imperialists.