Wednesday, October 29, 2008

I Like Paul Broun – And This Is Why

Andrew Napolitano has an excellent piece in today’s WSJ, the subtitle to which is "The government we have today is something the Founders could never have imagined." I think that it concisely sums up the source of most or our current political problems.

The Founders did so much so well in that they created what was far and away the best system of government the world has ever seen. Yes, it is imperfect, as all human creations are, but the limited government philosophy and procedural checks and balances built into the system were (and remain) astounding. On the other hand, though, they did not foresee the development of a professional governing class. Therein lies the problem.

The idea of limited government is anathema to the professional governing class and to those who look to the national government as the preferred agent of “fairness,” “social justice,” “redistribution,” etc. The problems that prompt the expansion of government never seem to get solved, so government expands even more to compensate for its own failure.

The current financial mess is a prime example. Yes, there was greed on Wall Street (and elsewhere for that matter), but when has that not been the case? The real problem can be traced directly back to Washington, where federal housing policy was dictated on the basis of politics rather than economics – and we are surprised that the result is a disaster? And the solution is to give the people who created this mess even more of my money and more regulatory authority over my economic life?


Broun’s adherence to the concept of a strictly limited national government situated within a federal framework is why I like him so much – and precisely why so many in Clarke County do not. For the self consciously progressive types who dominate the Classic City, government is the means through which they can impose their ostensibly well-meaning ideals on the rest of us for our own good, whether we want them to or not.

I may not agree with Broun on a particular issue, but I fully support his governing philosophy, which I would argue is needed now more than ever.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with Paul Broun. Take for example Peachcare. Why should we have this. Are not families capable of providing insurance for themselves, why should the State and Federal Government have to do it for them. Your right about housing as well, why do we continue with Section 8 housing, when we should just get Habitat for Humanity to do it instead.

Get rid of the VA and all these other federal agencies that help those that fought for their nation. They fought for freedom for this nation, not to come home and having the Federal Government become a nanny for them. In fact Broun is correct. Social Security is yet another Socialist program that needs to be put into the garbage can of history.

Perhaps our schools would be better if there was more competition and people paid for their children, rather than our tax dollars, go towards a system that is clearly inadequate. Pay as you and if you fail to graduate, then pay the money back.

Anonymous said...

Mark my words. He will be the GOP's Cynthia McKinney. He is a flake and a hypocrite (see: Athens debates) and sooner or later he will prove to be a major embarrassment. Not to himself, but to his district and his party.