Editor,
On Tuesday, I attended the first day of political science 200.
Rather than being a nonpartisan survey or introductory course, it had a distinct activist agenda. The textbook, “The Politics of Power: A Critical Introduction to American Government,” by Ira
Katznelson et. al., finds capitalism (bad) and democracy (good) irreconcilable. It talks of “the deep inequalities so generated” and “incites students to political action.”
The class functioned in much the same way. A movie was shown to demonstrate that income disparities result in morbidity disparities. It was asserted that funding cutbacks by Ronald Reagan did great damage to the longevity of poor people. The class warfare so provoked by the film’s claim that income is a matter of life and death is inflammatory.
Indeed, a strong case can be made that the film’s assertions are in error and, in fact, that the prosperity and medical innovations of the 1980s improved all citizens’ health. However, don’t hold your breath for political science 200 to present the counter-arguments.
UNM courses should not be biased and should not promote favored politics. The University should educate, not indoctrinate.
Donald Gluck
UNM student
