DeVos currently trails incumbent Governor Jennifer Granholm according to the latest polls, however if elected, as governor of a major state, and a possible candidate for higher office, he will be one of the most prominent Christian right elected leaders in the United States. Fortunately, author and journalist Russ Bellant has been researching the DeVos empire for many years, and agreed to be interviewed by the Detroit Metro Times for a piece on the DeVos family philanthropy -- which for starters contributed $570,000 to James Dobson's Focus on the Family between 1996 and 2004 (the last year for which there are public records available.) Here are a few details from this important story.
The agenda has been clear-cut: tax cuts that primarily benefit corporations and the wealthy, industry deregulation, school privatization, militarism, the promotion of so-called "traditional values" that cover everything from undermining the rights of gays to re-criminalizing abortion to breaking down the wall separating church from state, opposition to the environmental movement and organized labor and affirmative action, and cuts in funding to social services. According to the article, he is a slippery character when it comes to the issues, avoiding direct statements about many of the hot button issues dear to the religious right. He says he is prolife, but he won't get into detail. He won't talk about stem cell research, because it is "too complicated." On the other hand, he finaces the Thomas More Law Center, founded by Dominios Pizza mogul Tom Monaghan, that helped litigate the intelligent design battle in Dover, Pennsylvania, and in a rare moment of candor, acknowledged that he supports teaching intelligent design in the public schools "I would like to see the ideas of intelligent design that many scientists are now suggesting is a very viable alternative theory," DeVos told the AP. "That theory and others that would be considered credible would expose our students to more ideas, not less." Richard DeVos wife Betsy is the treasurer of an Ann Arbor based religious right agency called the Acton Institute, which opposed the Kyoto treaties on global warming, and has a recent record of attacking opponents of global warming. The Richard and Betsy DeVos foundation has kicked in $290,000 from 1996 to 2004. the Exxon-Mobil Founation contributed $200,000 to Action from 2001 - 2004. The DeVos campaign's John Truscott told the Metro Times, that its unfair to draw inferences on how DeVos will govern based on donations made as a private citizen. Indeed, white DeVos may not agree with every action or statement of every grantee, he may be fairly held accountable for, as Truscott says, their philosphy and underlyuing principles. By this standard, we find Richard DeVos at the more extreme end of the spectrum on abortion, gay and lesbian civil rights; separation of church and state, school privatization, teaching the religious doctrine of intelligent design as science, opposition to affirmative action, pooh poohing global warming, and much more. It is understandable that DeVos would like to focus soley on the state's economy and what he would do about it. But of course, the economy is only one part of the job. Based on the record of his personal philanthropy, DeVos philosophy regarding the basics of civil and human rights and constitutional democracy -- sounds a lot more like the leaders of the religious right than business-oriented Republicanism. No wonder he doesn't want to talk about it.
Dick DeVos Puts His Money Where His Mouth Isn't | 4 comments (4 topical, 0 hidden)
Dick DeVos Puts His Money Where His Mouth Isn't | 4 comments (4 topical, 0 hidden)
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