Puritanical Progressives

"Casinos...are socially and individually destructive. They're associated with every possible anti-social behavior."

"Gambling is a cancer on the soul of our nation."

The first speaker is Aaron D. Bartley, a law school student and Progressive Student Labor Movement (PSLM) member who demanded in a Feb. 9 letter that Harvard divest its holdings in a company that funds casinos.

The second quotation is from John D. Ashcroft, our new attorney general and a stalwart of the Christian right.

When did progressivism become Harvard's ideology of un-fun? Whatever else its shortcomings, the left has never seemed short on merriment. When members of Students for a Democratic Society took over University Hall in 1969 to protest the presence of ROTC on campus, they didn't forget to bring their stashes of marijuana. They chafed against the constraints of University and governmental authority. They were fighting for their right--and the rights of others--to enjoy the good life, and that life sometimes included the standard vices: drinking, drugs and surely, now and then, a little gambling.

These days, however, Harvard progressives have found a puritanical streak that would make Ashcroft proud. They might still condemn low wages for University employees and the poor labor practices of companies that make Harvard apparel.

But like Ashcroft, they're not always so keen on civil liberties, or tolerant of the vices in which ordinary people engage with their free time or extra money. Next stop for the PSLM: Dancing? Rock lyrics? Caffeine?

There are differences between the illiberal right and the illiberal left, of course. Ashcroft and his allies oppose gambling because they believe it endangers our mortal souls. PSLM attacks gambling because they consider it an unwise use of our money. Ultimately, I probably prefer to have someone looking out for my soul than my pocketbook. But my first choice would be neither. So I hope Harvard does not divest its holdings in our casino-loving friends. And I hope Bartley and his PSLM colleagues take a long look at what kind of liberal values they are defending.

In the meantime, I'd like to offer the following public service announcement: the Mass. "Megabucks" lottery jackpot will be at $5.1 million today. I won't be playing, but so far as I'm concerned, you can go right ahead.