#atxcouncil, #TribFest 18: Casar admits he's a socialist

"Consider the work of God;
For who can make straight what He has made crooked?"
Ecclesiastes 7:13

It's not a surprise but, at least to this author's knowledge, it's the first time he's admitted it publicly.

This morning, at the Texas Tribune festival, Greg Casar called himself a "proud member" of the Democratic Socialists of America.

Casar's comment came in response to a question from Paul Workman during a panel discussion of the City of Austin's municipal "sick leave" entitlement.  Workman asked Casar, point blank, if he was a socialist.  Casar momentarily hemmed and hawed, before biting the bullet and giving the answer detailed above.

Like we said: It's not like this is a surprise, but it is the first time (at least to our knowledge) he's admitted it publicly.

Otherwise, the panel was what you'd expect.  Rob Henneke of TPPF explained the difference between individual choice and government force.  Some form of sick leave probably is a good idea for many employers and many employees.  But "many" is not the same thing as all.  Government forcing what's good for many onto all is tyranny.  As Henneke said, "[I]t's not the roles of cities to regulate anything and everything."  Amen.

One comment stood out: Ann Beeson of the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a left-leaning Austin based think tank, said that the fact that many employers already offered this specific benefit meant that all employers should be forced into this policy.  Obviously, big businesses using the force of government to impose mandatory costs on its smaller competitors is called economic protectionism.  We don't know if Beeson's neglect of this point was due to ignorance or malice.  Neither is acceptible.

Bottom Line: At least he's being honest....