Progressive-Regressive

I used too think that I was kind of a "gitter done" kind of guy. That was before I got into an on-line discussion of the word progressive, one of my hated words that goes right along with" moving forward," one that irritates Jim Kerchner and others. It started when Dave Oliveria used the word,"progressive," to describe the Coeur d'Alene City Council. Now I'm quite sure that many, if not all of the council members are go gitters, but there has to be some Republicans in the group. I'm left wondering whether they want to be called progressive, since that largely, overused and under-specific term was many years ago, claimed as a synonym for Liberal.

The opposite of progressive, of course, is Regressive. Now, I ask you. How many want to be thought of as regressive? Sounds terrible, doesn't it. Allow me to use an example, or two.

Progressive: A progressive society brought us Heroin, Crack Cocaine and methamphetamine. Starting around the time of the Vietnam war, our progressive society sent thousands to their deaths for what? Two parent homes are the oddity, not the norm, in a progressive society. Property crimes have run rampant, as dopers try to fund their recreational drug habit. Hanging out. Being cool. wearing one's hat backward, drooping pants. (with ass-crack showing) Trying out sex before dating? Progressive.

Regressive: Mom & Pop on an outing with their kids. Their natural kids, not yours and mine. Families sitting down at the dinner table together for dinner. (teens, excepted) Families that could make enough dough with one parent working, so that the other could keep the kids out of jail and reasonably under control. Going to church, worshiping anything other than the pursuit of pleasure? Regressive. Learning as an incentive for future life? Regressive, and ridiculed. Knowledge and the pursuit of? Regressive.

All-in-all, I've decided that I would rather be a Regressive, thank you very much!