Relative to conservatives, most "progressives" lean towards greater regulation of economic and social spheres of existence. Sometimes I agree with their regulatory efforts, other times I do not, but I would always give them the benefit of the doubt, in regards to their noble intentions, that is until February 6, 2006.
On that a "fair housing" group, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Inc. filed a lawsuit against Craigslist because of a handful of discriminatory ads that were posted in the housing section.
For those who are not familiar with Craigslist, it is an online community, in which people can post free ads for apartments and any imaginable good, service and community event.
Craigslist has a remarkably effective flagging system, in which the vast majority of discriminatory apartment ads are quickly taken off when community members flag them. So, Craigslist succesfully balances the "progressive" value of fighting against discrimination, with the libertarian value of self-governance.
The lawyers in question demanded that Craigslist impose centralized control of ads, reviewing and screening each ad to make sure they are not discriminatory. Even more troubling was their demand that Craigslist "proactively volunteer personal information about posters who post a discriminatory preference to regulatory authorities for prosecution, without subpoena or warrant..."
This would have essentially transformed Craigslist from an open, free, self-regulating community to a closed, costly, centralized and externally regulated enterprise.
I have not doubt that these "progressive" lawyers are motivated by power and the fascist drive to control others. They cannot accept the reality of an enterprise that succesfully functions outside of their centralized control. They cannot accept that people and communities are capable of regulating their own affairs. They cannot accept that perhaps they are not necessary, perhaps the burdens they oppose on society outweigh the benefits that they offer.
Thankfully the grinch was beaten and Craigslist is still governed by freedom.
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