The Principles Office

There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.

Alexis de Tocqueville

Do we have a party of principle? What are the principles?

Do we even have men of principle? What are those principles?

Are you a Big Tent Republican? Does big tent preclude principle? Reagan’s big tent philosophy is often cited as reason to avoid getting bogged down in policy debates. Or for failing to excommunicate RINO’s. Did Reagan have no principles?

I have asked here before if there is even one principle to which conservatives can agree one must be bound to be accepted into the fold. I have not yet heard the response that was more than a vague exercise in goals.

Conservatives are for smaller government. What is smaller government? The current federal government is at minimum 400% larger than when Reagan ran and won on a platform of smaller government. Do all Reagan Republicans or Democrats agree it should be smaller than what he inherited from Carter? It is at least 800% larger than when Reagan supported Goldwater’s bid to bring smaller government. Would all conservatives today agree to a 90% reduction in the federal government? If so it would still be larger than the government JFK inherited from Ike. Was the government too small under JFK? A loosely defined goal is not a principle. Even if we could agree on a 90% reduction in federal spending that would still be a goal not a principle. The principle would be found somewhere in the argument concerning why a 90% reduction would be a good thing.

If we were the big ball party why would we tell people our big balls are better than the little balls the left likes? Are basketballs inherently morally superior to ping pong balls? What is the principle? Can we quantify it? Can we rally around it? Do we have big balls? Do we accept little balls into the fold? Many say we should.

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.

Thomas Jefferson

Smaller government is a style that appears, thanks to our dear leader, to be in vogue. It has been there before. Yet, we don’t have smaller government. We have not had smaller government in the preceding 100 years. Vague goals without defined principles are ineffective.

The left uses vague goals very effectively because they have no principles and cannot therefore be held to account when they defy those principles. (They do have one principle; state power, at all times at all costs.)

I have seen too many frequently espouse this as a way to hold a coalition together on the right. The problem is then, when we win, what are we going to do? With a fractious coalition of halfhearted conservatives with no binding principles we will get more of the same. Nothing will get done because nobody will even agree on what should be done. Or worse, as happens to the left, the dear leader will simply move to implement that which was HIS agenda and we will find, once again, that we were but a tool to move yet another progressive/compassionate/big government “conservative” to power at the expense of liberty.

What are the principles of conservatism? Of freedom?

It seems to me;

A strict adherence to the US Constitution is fundamental. They wrote it, they meant it; it has produced the greatest nation in history when obeyed and the greatest debt in history when ignored.

The rule of law; applied as equally to the Political Class as to the poorest OR to the most successful citizen.

Citizen Legislature; term limits particularly in the house. We need a citizen legislature that goes home and lives with the laws they pass and pays the taxes they impose.

Some other good ideas:

A repeal of the Income Tax, it was an evil construct from its birth. Kill it now.

A repeal of the 17^th Amendment, empower states by ending the direct election of US Senators.

A Balanced Budget Amendment.

Reasonable, constitutional, immigration reform that denies citizenship to any illegal alien and grants birthright citizenship only to the children of citizens.

End the Federal Reserve. They caused the Great Depression and now the Great Recession. It was not worse before there was a FED. The debt driven society they encourage threatens our national existence. Their answer to the current crisis is, in part, to encourage people to go deeper in debt.

Require regulations promulgated by the executive to be approved by the congress. (No more EPA Cap and Trade threats)

Require super majorities (60% or 65%) to raise taxes but not to lower them.

These last may not be principles but are at least specific goals that would, if implemented, unquestionably protect or enhance freedom.

We need another Contract with America. This time something real. Something that sticks. Something that defunds Washington and empowers Americans.

It is time for a new birth of freedom.

• The FED is Progressivism (dreamsfrommyforefathers.com)
• Political Currents: The Tea Party Movement: The conscience of the GOP? (politicalcurrents.blogtownhall.com)
• A Plan to Return to the U.S. Constitution (dakotavoice.com)
• THE LEAST MEN STANDING: Making Nice With GOP Moderates. What to do? What to Do? (vbushmills.blogtownhall.com)
• Amdt to Limit Federal Spending Introduced (dakotavoice.com)