The American Spectator

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Mandatory Reading

7.3.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 2 of 6)

More importantly; with the advancement of these ideas, being open and honest about the difference between our personal social ideals and our political philosophy, and being clear that being anti-governmental intervention doesn't make for bad governance, the conservative movement and the GOP can start winning again.
-- Charles Campbell
Austin, Texas

Do the compound return math: The average auto worker extended family could have one or two retired millionaires if Democrats hadn't designed Social Security pyramid scam that -- literally -- meets the legal definitions of financial crime. Imagine where the working family could have been with a generation of personal accounts: Grandchild going to Harvard? No problem -- write the check, plenty left over. Surprise medical bills? Write a check, and buy cheap catastrophic insurance to protect against really big bills. Children laid off in middle age? No problem, grand-dad can easily carry a few mortgage payments until they're back on their feet. Unwed teen mother? Okay, the family can easily afford someone to stay home and care for the kid until she finishes school. Nobody would need Democrat's stingy, strings-attached, inefficient, soul-killing hand-outs, because they could solve their own family problems.

And imagine if Democrats had not been allowed to take away half the life savings of a working black family if Dad died young (they lose one Social Security pension). Imagine instead he'd been allowed to pass on his personal account to his kids. How much progress could black Americans have made with that stolen inheritance? Any wonder why black Americans seem to have a hard time climbing the inter-generational economic ladder?

Conservatives have not been able to illustrate the tragic opportunity cost of socialist policies to the working class -- would could have been -- because they've relied on hapless Republicans who are too busy apologizing for their brethren and sanctimoniously proving how clean their hands are of political dirt. It is woefully irresponsible for pols like Bush and McCain to fail to criticize the policy failures of Democrats loudly and constantly, and pretend you can "just get things done" and "do the right thing" and "reach across the aisle" before preparing the public by winning the argument.

That is why conservatives must never, ever agree to soften the blow of payroll taxes unless it is part of a real personal account reform. It is absolutely essential to start holding Democrats responsible for the disastrous but largely indirect and hidden effects of their policies on the working class. Democrats must be forced to take full credit for the failure of their policies, because that is absolutely the only way to illustrate for the working and voting public how conservative principles are by contrast workable when applied to public policy. Republicans will be very tempted to "just do the right thing" and cut payroll taxes. Instead they should force a clear choice between two completely different packages.
-- Eric Richter
Grand Rapids, Michigan

Misters Douthat and Salam and Ferrara all have excellent ideas, but the a priori assumption of their argument is that the federal government can produce effective programs. An investigation of the history of social programs, especially after FDR's good hearted but wrong headed New Deal, will clearly show that the central government has rarely produced highly efficacious results. The same investigation will show the programs "creep" year after year. Short term programs are never short termed; they are extended well beyond their original purposes and cost estimates. Once these programs are established, federal bureaucrats, the courts, and the general public find (create) rights for said programs to live on well past their advertised expiration dates.

The creep of these programs is understandable. The programs create jobs and are deliver pork to home constituencies. Further, the money seems to be free. The federal government prints and distributes the monies. The thinking goes along these lines, "Since the rich pay for these redistribution of income and I am not rich, who am I hurting by taking advantage of these programs? Hell, it is my right as a tax payer to receive these services." The mind set that the programs are rights is difficult to refute, no matter how reasonable the arguments that are laid down. (William F. Buckley spent his lifetime producing well-argued position papers on conservative principles.)

The Constitution lays down the mutual responsibilities of the federal government and the people; it is the ultimate Social Contract. This glorious document is often forgotten or blatantly ignored in the process of creating over burdensome tax regulations. The government, at all levels, has the right to fair taxation, but redistributing income is not part of the principles on which this country was founded. A flat tax allows the government to fund its legitimate needs without imposing morality through approving, encouraging, or conversely, disapproving and discouraging, public behavior. A flat tax is a morally neutral tax. (This change in tax regulation in no way denies the rights and responsibilities of legislatures for passing ethical and moral laws; it simply transfer culpability back to the authors of the laws from the anonymity of tax bureaucrats.)

Conservatives, such as Douthat and Salam and Ferrara , who wish to impose their morality on the people, either ignore or forget the laws of unintended consequences. The history of government programs demonstrates that these programs often mutate from their original designs into multi-headed hydras that are beyond their creators' control. Ferrara offers excellent rational for some conservative new programs, but he cannot guarantee, or even foresee, what the next generation of these programs will be and how they will be used for, or more probably, against the very people for whom he advocates.

An early lesson one learns in martial arts is that any weapon carried into battle can be used against the one who brings it. Mr. Ferrara, being a libertarian, is part of the "Leave Us Alone Coalition." The nomenclature is sincere; we are not looking for any social programming; we are asking to be left alone.

Mr. Ferrara does not trust that the people have the good sense of electing officials who will leave us alone, but then again, history is on his side.
-- Ira M. Kessel
Rochester, New York

For the last 10 to 12 years we have seen plenty of "conservatives" spending just like the leftists, benevolently presiding over bigger and bigger government that does more and more. We've seen "compassionate conservatives" fall all over themselves to prove they "care" too. The problem is we've allowed certain people to claim they are something they plainly aren't. These two bozos aren't neoliberals..they are neocons!

The neocon crowd never had a problem with big government, just with who was running it. They are as interventionist as the left is, they just have a slightly different idea as to how and where to intervene. As far as the Republicans go, I don't think that true conservatives have ever felt that we had a happy home there. We have been more and less tolerated because we win when we are clear about our message. And the message has to be clear opposition to the other side, not trying to be more like them.

In 2006 the voters kicked out a bunch of self-serving, big spending, big government fat cats...they just happened to be Republicans.

I'm afraid we have become sidetracked. Of course we are pro-life, but that doesn't have a thing to do with conservatism. And we are pro-second amendment, but neither does that have anything to do with true conservatism. We could list many more we believe that also have nothing to do with real conservatism. To me real conservatism comes down to just one thing, the size and scope of government. If you are content with current behemoth or you want it to get bigger the only way you could be considered a conservative is if we totally redefine the word! Neocons think everything is great as long as we get a tax cut. That may help me but the real threat to our nation is plainly on the spending side of things.

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