Taking Sides
by Amie Hoeber
There have been some disquieting headlines recently reporting that left-wing activists are trying to force private companies to adopt their political agenda.
First, it was a demand by a handful of Microsoft employees that the company cancel a contract with the Army for a virtual reality device intended to give U.S. infantry a battlefield advantage. Next, it was a group of protestors demanding that some of the nation’s largest banks stop working with companies that provide border detention services to the Department of Homeland Security.
Microsoft said “no”; but, the banks, led by J.P. Morgan, yielded to the protestors. In neither case did the voters, or their elected representatives in Congress, have a voice in what, ultimately, affects the security of us all.
Should this become a trend, it could deny our elected government the creative energy of the private sector while ceding to a few dissidents a veto over national security. That has deeply concerning implications for us all.
It’s not enough to elect candidates who promise to patch potholes and spend your taxes to buy your votes. We need to ask about the larger issues that impact our lives from the Democrats’ flirtation with socialism to their reluctance to take basic steps to keep us safe. 2020 is on the horizon. We must make it a year of reckoning.
*The writer is a former Deputy Undersecretary of the Army and Republican candidate for Congress from Maryland’s 6th District.