Lange on Christianity, Capitalism, and South Dakota's Wacky Taxes

SDPB surprises me today with a lengthy interview with fellow Lake Herman philosopher Gerry Lange. I expected SDPB's Dakota Midday "Uniquely South Dakota" series to focus on feel-good stories, nice boostery interviews with colorful local figures who tell what a wonderful place their hometown is and how everyone should come spend tourist dollars there. On today's show, Madison Mayor Gene Hexom and Prairie Village's new office manager Donna Reinecke covered that ground well. Then -- surprise! some serious and wide-ranging political commentary from our man Gerry. Some choice comments:

In response to a question on public reaction to his comments against the Iraq War in 2003:"I said things... assuming that we were a Christian nation, that you are supposed to love your enemies and you are supposed to do good to those who hate you, the Sermon on the Mount thing. I belong to Kiwanis, and we always talk about the Golden Rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And yet, when it comes down to practical politics, so called, it's pretty hard-nosed. And this is one of the conclusions I reached in thinking this over is that democracy itself is in contradiction to Christianity. Christianity is turn the other cheek, it's love your enemies, and even in deomcracies, the phrase is don't get mad when you get beat, get even, and so a spirit of revenge is built into our system. And so we have these two ethos, two economic-political systems, in war with each other, Christianity and economic development. Free enterprise is out to get what you can for yourself and everybody else look out for themselves."

"Politically it isn't pragmatic to go against the majority."

"...our tax system is totally wrong in this state compared with every state around us. We're the only one that taxes groceries for heaven's sakes. We're the only state that taxes luxury items at 3%, groceries at 6%. I think that's outrageous. I don't see why the people put up with it."

"Incidentally that Social Hall here at Prairie Village was called Socialist Hall. Back in the early part of the century both North Dakota (my state) and this state were very socialistic, meaning that they agreed with Peter Norbeck that we needed a state cement plant, we needed state railroads if necessary, state bank up in North Dakota, and state mill and elevator because we were being ripped off by Eastern interests. And so there's this rebellious streak in these two states, and I'm dedicated to carrying on that rebellious streak of standing up to oppression."

On his new book Under the Dome: Trying to Do Good in the People's Cathedral: "It's a five-dollar, looseleaf-bound hundred pages of rant and other bits of wisdom."

SDPB's interviewer tried to get Gerry to commit to running again in 2008. Gerry said that's a ways off, though, and he has a lot of gardening to do. (I've seen Gerry's garden, and we're not talking a few petunias and a pumpkin or two. He gardens with a skid-loader.) Even if gerry isn't ready to carry that rebellious streak into another campaign for the legislature, it was fun to hear one of our unique political voices on the radio.