A friend forwarded a popular e-mail to myself and other friends from my church entitled “The Founding Fathers Explain Conservatism.” This message is credited to talk radio host Mark Levin, who is known for witty, balanced quips such as “Liberalism is a slow road to despotism.” I’d ordinarily not respond to such a message, but found myself with some free time and abhor historical revisionism. My reply follows.
Hi Mike,
Hope that you’re well and enjoying this unfortunately rainy weekend.
While I feel somewhat uncomfortable engaging in a political conversation within a religious context, I do agree that such discussions are important when they occur in a healthy, reasoned, discursive manner. I’m offering my thoughts because the subject is political philosophy rather than the merits of a particular candidate. Should HC leaders decide that such discussion is inappropriate (or if you’d not like to hear any more from me), please let me know.
In the interest of disclosure, I should note that I consider myself an independent voter and carefully research each candidate regardless of party affiliation before casting my ballot. Most of my votes in the current election for partisan offices were for democratic candidates, though I did not vote a straight ticket. I should also note that I affirm many core principles of fiscal conservatism - in addition to keeping my own spending on a short leash.
If you don’t mind, I’d like to offer some thoughts on the (cherry-picked) series of quotations you’ve offered.
I’m troubled that the context in which the first quote by Thomas Jefferson is offered suggests that liberalism is predicated upon the curtailing of liberty. Particularly with regard to legislation passed during the past eight years, I’d suggest that today’s politicians claiming to embody the principles of conservatism often do not. I have in mind legislation such as the Patriot Act (and the failed Patriot II) which enabled widespread infringement upon public liberties such as nationwide roving wiretaps and a vastly expanded scope of surveillance under FISA, followed by many real-world abuses of such power resulting in rampant illegal surveillance of U.S. citizens. These same politicians also often champion the strictest and most devastating policies affecting non-native families in our country - policies which tear mothers and fathers from their children and force them to leave one another behind without recourse. Finally, I’d also note that such candidates are among the most vociferous opponents of liberties such as the right of certain couples to seek state-recognized domestic partnerships and marriage. Whether the issue is privacy, the right to love and marry, or the right to live with and care for one’s own family, it seems that the principles of liberalism defend a much more robust liberty than those of neoconservatives. Like Thomas Jefferson, I too would rather be exposed to “the inconveniences of attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.”
You’ve also offered a few quotations from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison concerning charity and welfare. As you might expect, a recurring theme in Madison’s writings and speeches is Federalism, or the separation of powers between federal, state, and municipal governments. The quote in which you’ve bolded the phrase “Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government” is taken particularly out of its context, which ironically supports the opposite conclusion. Mr. Madison spoke these words to the House of Representatives in 1794 concerning a measure proposing relief for St. Domingo refugees. The issue in question was whether or not money collected from citizens of the fledgling nation could be used to aid those who were not citizens. Madison’s motion lost, and a few months later “‘An Act for the relief of the citizens of Venezuela’ was passed, authorizing the President to expend $50,000 to purchase provisions for that object” (source). With Mr. Madison’s opinion among the losing minority, it would seem that the founding fathers agreed that charity is an American tradition, providing for both the general welfare of our people and those whom we agree are in dire need.
Rather than continuing to address each of these quotes in context, I’d like to depart for a moment to discuss fiscal conservatism. This is a core conservative principle which I affirm, but one I find poorly embodied by conservative politicians in recent decades. Elected in 1981, President Reagan left office with over a $200 billion dollar deficit and raised the U.S. national debt from a manageable $700 billion to $3 trillion dollars. Following in his footsteps, President George H.W. Bush left office with a $300 billion budget deficit and raised the national debt to just under $5 trillion. During democratic Bill Clinton’s presidency, our nation enjoyed over a $200 billion surplus and the national debt’s accumulation rate slowed and nearly plateaued, ending $1.3 trillion greater over an eight-year period.
More recently, George W. Bush has left us with a $482 billion budget deficit and presided over the most rapid, devastating increase in national debt in U.S. history, which has risen from $6 trillion to nearly $11 trillion. This increase is greater than the national debt of all other forty-two presidents in U.S. history combined (for reference, FDR left office with a national debt of $216.5 billion; adjusted for inflation, this is still less than half of George W. Bush’s contribution). Again, it would seem that in the history of government spending, “conservative” presidents leave office with far greater debt than liberals. For more information, see this graph, or this one which illustrates the derivative (rate of change) of government spending.
If you’re curious about the budget projections for this year’s presidential candidates, the net cost of both tax plans is $294 billion. The difference is that one candidate’s tax cut applies to the vast majority of Americans whose incomes are under $200,000, while the other’s are extended to the wealthy elite (report).
I’m offering this message because I, too am concerned about the direction of our nation and hope that the next president will uphold the principles of justice, liberty, compassion, and equality. Regardless of who you support, I do hope that you’ll vote on or before Tuesday for the candidates of your choice. Remember, ballots must be received by 8pm to be counted. It’s too late to mail them, but you can drop them off here.
Blessings,
Scott Andreas
scott@paradoxica.net
