As the Republican primaries continue, and as my political values continue to evolve, the more exasperated I become. Over and over again, we hear the sermons about “tax cuts” and the value of the magic that is the free market.OK, that’s not a bad idea, if politicians are consistent in their practice of their ideas. The problem is that conservatism isn’t what it used to be. The ideology of conservatism is that of limited government. Liberalism, on the other hand, can sometimes resemble socialism, a key tenet of communism (for fiction and nonfiction references to the success of this ideology, check out “1984” and read any textbook about the Soviet Union, respectively).
Our founding fathers wrote the Constitution with the idea of limiting the government and providing its citizens equal access to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The entire Revolution was a result of increasing government interference and involvement by the British.
This idea of limited government was a revolutionary one, one that was followed relatively faithfully for a long time. However, as time progressed, there began a trend in the opposite direction.
Gradually, the government has increased its power and influence – by the centralization of the government after the Civil War, the advent of the federal income tax, the New Deal and possibly (if either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama win the election) universal health care.
Liberals and democrats are not the only ones who want the government involved in everyone’s business. Even conservatives, whose very foundations rest on the idea of limited government, are gradually increasing the government’s power, even if it is in different ways.
Rather than limit the government, modern conservatives do everything they can to limit our civil liberties, such as gay marriage, abortion and fair law enforcement, which is endangered due to the Patriot Act.
One thing they don’t want to limit, however, is their spending. For example, according to Ron Paul, members of Congress increased government spending by 75 percent during George Bush’s reign. New departments and government bureaucracies like the Department of Homeland Security cost money. The IRS, the Department of Education and other departments also cost money.
In particular, wars cost money. The first federal income tax was enacted in 1861 to help pay for the Civil War. Even then, it was only a flat tax of 3 percent. During World War I, the top tax brackets were paying 73 percent of their income. From that point on, a graduated federal income tax was a fact of life, especially as the United States became more involved in foreign entanglements.
Currently, the Iraq war alone has already cost us almost $500 billion. Combine that with tax cuts and lots of federal spending in other areas, and it is no surprise that we have almost $10 trillion in debt.
Unfortunately, the recent lack of success by conservatism has discouraged the American public. According to the Pew Research Center, the public’s support for the social security net is rising, and many are worried about income inequality. People increasingly want the government to do more and more.
I admit I am not an economic guru, but I have attended a Dave Ramsey seminar or two, and I do know one thing: Don’t buy what you can’t afford. But politicians can’t seem to understand this simple idea. As Ron Paul also said, “Congress couldn’t slash spending if its members’ lives depended on it.”
As you may have noticed, I have quoted Ron Paul twice in this article. This is not meant to be a “Vote Ron Paul” article, but his name has been used because he reflects these simple and traditional ideas. In fact, he has said no to so many spending bills that he has famously been nicknamed “Dr. No.”
Tax cuts alone will not fix everything. Socialistic redistribution of money (translated: stealing from the rich to give to the poor) also will not fix anything. Limiting the government, sticking to the traditional values of our Constitution and letting capitalism work its magic will.
But that will only work if we practice what we preach.