Dear Friends,
It seems to me that the recently completed elections in the US, show that with a few exceptions, the people of the United States want a much more conservative government, than we have. The elections that took place in 2008 put into this context make much more sense.
In 2008 the “Conservative” faction of the American electorate stayed home to protest the big spending of the Republicans, this coupled with an historically significant election year, generating turnout in factions that don’t normally vote, and you have a Democratic victory. This theory can be empirically proven by counting the calls to conservative radio shows during the 2008 election season. It can be inferred that each call that makes this argument, represents 100 calls that didn’t make it through and each of those 100 calls that didn’t make it through, represent 100 people who didn’t even bother to call, that had the same opinion.
This year 2010 the American electorate turned out very well for a non presidential year. With the only exceptions being California, New York, Vermont and Massachusetts these States returned a largely anti capitalist bunch back to power. With some notably corrupt characters… Charlie Rangel with his proclivity not to report income and Barney Frank with his dodgy record overseeing Fannie and Freddy during the financial meltdown.
The rest of the nation turned Republicans to office. Almost a landslide victory for Republicans gives them a mandate far more than did Obama’s landslide at 52% of the popular vote. No other Democrat had done that since Jimmy Carter. The last few elections taken into consideration along with general polling data about the American people show the American government is far to the left of the American people.
But will the Republicans actually come through and cut any government?
If a Republican calls for the elimination of the Mohair subsidy, (to protect the US military’s access to mohair for WWI uniforms), he or she will be reviled in the unbiased media. The thrust of every story on NPR will be how heartless and actually cruel the Republican is to want to hurt those poor farmers. After all aren’t farmers the back bone of America? Olson’s “Logic of collective action.” will rear it’s ugly head in every proposed cut.
Literally billions of dollars will be leveled against anyone who steps out of line. Those that do will be dragged through the mud even worse then in this election. In the end the mohair subsidy will stay, but the uncooperative congressmen or woman, will be gone. So no. No they will not cut anything.
This will enrage the American electorate even more. Who knows how the American electorate will handle their anger when that time comes… never mind they will be angry at themselves for allowing it. Maybe the Republican name will be so destroyed that it will cease to be a viable party, like the Whigs, to supplanted by another party that actually embodies the American Conservative ethos.
What is the American conservative ethos? I’m glad you asked…
The term “conservative” is very misleading. To the European it means a person who want’s to conserve the feudal system. Or return to a similar system. Where the goods of society are distributed by class.
But an American conservative wants to conserve the advances of the Enlightenment, where the goods of society are distributed by the market system, a far more meritorious distribution, that has served us so very well. The American Conservative wants to conserve all the things that allow a market system to work.
Those are family, and religion. Family is obvious. People raised in a family especially a large family learn quickly to bide their time, work with in a frame work, are compliant to superiors but know the difference between legitimate orders and illegitimate orders all through incessant fighting with their siblings and parents.
Religion is valuable to a market system because it helps keep people honorable. The only person we really have to fear getting unlimited power is a true atheist. Because a true atheist is not limited in his or her actions. To argue they have a conscience is laughable. The human conscience is the poorest control over human behavior. Whenever the conscience runs against the ego the conscience never fails to bend. That is one of the chief reasons religion is important for a functional market system.
That is the American Conservative ethos, pro capitalism, to conserve the market system and the things that allow it to work… for our children and their children.
As opposed to the American Liberal ethos, anti capitalism.
