Nobody except Race42012′s resident Ron Paul fanatic Josiah had a problem with the Global Leadership principles outlined in yesterday’s post. So far, so good. Today’s, then, will focus on the principles of individualism that give the foundation of our economic philosophy good standing.
Individual Opportunity and Personal Responsibility
- America should use its governmental and economic capabilities to maximize choice for the consumer, prosperity for the populace, and opportunity for all, regardless of where one starts in life. This manifests itself in capitalism, personal responsibility, and individual freedom.
- America’s voting-age citizens are adults, and should be treated as such. When an individual or corporation makes a poor financial decision, then they are the ones that are responsible for that decision. If it is assumed that the government offers more than just a safety net, it only provides an incentive for people to be wasteful and to act riskily.
- The traditional safety net should be honored by the government: the American people have come to a consensus that people facing hard times — whether through a layoff or because of a personal mistake — deserve a hand. Special attention should be paid to those facing cyclical unemployment and especially to those with children.
- Deficit spending is not only unproductive for our economic standing both domestically and abroad, but is a sign of massive irresponsibility on the part of the government: when a responsible family wants more than it can afford, it cuts something back, even if it is difficult. The government should operate by the same principle: spend what you have, set priorities, and make things efficient by instituting proper oversight.
- Higher taxes discourage productivity and are destructive toward jobs. When individuals have more of their own money to spend, it enables them to live their lives as they personally dictate, rather than as the government does. Cutting taxes must be affirmed as an act of individual choice and empowerment. Additionally, our corporate tax rate is the second-highest in the world. This rate should be slashed in order to both bring jobs in America and to lower prices for consumers: much of what passes for a “corporate tax” gets embedded in what they pay for. States with tax rates that are too high drive businesses away. The American people have decided that corporations have a responsibility to pay taxes at a reasonable rate, given their capabilities, but it ceases to be reasonable when it harms the consumer and destroys American jobs.
- Tort reform is desperately needed to put an end to the lawsuit culture that’s too pervasive in American society. Caps on malpractice lawsuits, Loser Pays laws, and stricter accountability and adherence to the letter of the law in the court system are a few ways to begin this.
- Small government is not a dead idea. A culture dependent upon the government — one that is housed, educated, taught, paid, and taken care of medically by it — is one that has irreparably declined into laziness and stagnation. The ability to individually chart one’s life is what the concept of small government is about, and the GOP must reaffirm that. (And let’s not forget that things such as growth and voluntary charity are best encouraged by it.)
Tomorrow: Cultural Traditionalism AND Respect for Religious Freedom
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THE PRINCIPLES:
Global Leadership - Individual Opportunity and Personal Responsibility – Cultural Traditionalism – Respect for Religious Freedom – Political Realism – Objectivity – Optimism – Inclusion – Constructive Dialogue – Smart Governance
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Alex Knepper can be contacted at apkkib@aol.com.
December 18th, 2008 at 12:16 am
[...] Leadership – Individual Opportunity and Personal Responsibility – Cultural Traditionalism – Respect for Religious Freedom – Political Realism – Objectivity – [...]
December 18th, 2008 at 3:53 am
This is probably the most important (and perhaps obvious) of your list of principles, and I think it is a pretty good summation of what conservatives anywhere should have as core set of beliefs.
On the point about Tort reform- I’m not well informed on the detail of the issue of US tort reform, but bear in mind that the alternative to a litigious culture is often a culture of government regulation with all the associated big government paraphernalia to monitor and enforce it. As I say I’m not up on the particular issues, but be careful what you wish for.
December 18th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Rich even given the costs of bureaucracy…
I doubt government regulation would be as expensive and wasteful as frivolous tort.
December 18th, 2008 at 9:37 am
There’s not much to argue with here either Alex. Good job.
December 18th, 2008 at 10:01 am
I take issue with your tax paragraph. Here are the facts as I see them and should be reiterated to the government educated masses.
1. There are only 3 ways to fund the federal government: Taxes, Borrowing, or Printing money. Taxes decreases current output. Borrowing decreases current investment in the private sector, and printing money debases the currency. Choose your poison.
2. Any tax discourages or limits the behaviour that is taxed.
3. Only individuals pay taxes. Corporations increase prices to cover taxes or change their behaviour to avoid taxes. In either case, the ultimate payer of the tax will always be the consumer.
4. The tax code should be used primarily to gain revenues for the federal government. The tax code should be reform to meet this principle. The tax code should not be used for social policy.
* As Republicans, we desire lower overall taxes because we want smaller government, individual freedom and the choice to spend our money as we see fit. In addition, if we tax output less (wether individual output through income taxes, or corporate output), we get more output. This is the Laffer curve. The point on the curve when lower marginal taxes will get lower federal revenue is not even in sight with our current rates.
* As republicans, we want lower taxes in order to increase federal revenue and to decrease the borrowing and inflation. We also want smaller government for individual freedom.
As a side note, which is a sect within the Republican party, federalism should be embraced and encouraged. Many of the services that the federal government assumes should be under state control. I should not be paying more federal taxes than state taxes or local taxes. It should be the opposite. We should all read the 10th amendment again. After all, the local government should have the most influence on my life. It is the closes to the governed. And if the Govern citizens do not like the authorities, they can move or vote them out easier.
December 18th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Leaving aside the idiocy of assuming a parabolic Laffer curve (it’s actually a whole series of coupled curves that are responsive to environmental input; e.g. whenever you build a new road, the peak position and shape of the curve for gas taxes may change, in turn altering the shape of the “Laffer” hyperplane in a higher-dimensional multitax space), I’d like to see your evidence for this contention. I’m guessing that you have none, and are just repeating the talking points of anti-tax activists.
December 18th, 2008 at 11:59 am
In contrast to the superior classes who believe in the purifying effects of taxes?
If only those stingy “anti-tax activists” weren’t ruining the ability of our pure elected officials and competently administrative bureaucrats to do their ever expanding jobs, the nation would be so much better off, no?
Government growth must be for a good cause (PDF). So let’s be sure to encourage it.
December 18th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Economists estimate in our economy income taxes would generate the most revenue at ~60-70%.
My goal in life isn’t to maximize government tax revenue. Maximizing government revenue is very harmful to our nation.
I’d prefer we restructure taxes to do the least damage to our economy. Right now payroll taxes probably do more to stunt economic growth than any other tax. Inflation-unadjusted capital gains taxes are nearly as harmful.
December 18th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
No controversy here Alex. Let’s build on this foundation.
December 18th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Alex,
Could you elaborate upon this?
And upon this?
December 18th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
10,
Nice, a student of Mises… I hold many sympathies for your school of thought.
December 18th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
10 – Yes, I will elaborate upon it: it’s a statement of principles for a pragmatic, Big Tent Party, not a Ron Paul rLOVEution.
December 18th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
[...] Leadership - Individual Opportunity and Personal Responsibility – Cultural Traditionalism – Respect for Religious Freedom – Political Realism – Objectivity – [...]
December 19th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Alex,
That looks more like a paraphrase than an elaboration to me.
What I’m trying to figure out is, specifically, how do you think that the American government should “maximize choice for the consumer, prosperity for the populace, and opportunity for all, regardless of where one starts in life”?
And could you expound more upon the second blockquote of yours that I posted?