The Most Important Issue!
How Fiscal Conservatives Can Gain More Influence
Dear Fiscal Conservatives:
I appreciate your thoughtful and passionate championing of economic sanity, government spending and taxing restraint, and suspicion of the role of Central Banks. I agree with much of it. Most of you who are vocal this cycle about that being the only real issue are about my kids’ age. I am deeply concerned about the country we are leaving to your generation and to my young grandchildren. I have said “government debt is theft from future generations” countless times online, in writing, and in person over the decades. It is indeed one of many VERY big issues.
It is not, however,“the most important” thing to everyone. To some, the most important thing is taxes, irrespective of spending. To others it is late-term or partial birth or even after-birth killing of babies. To others it is US sending military as essentially policemen around the world, often to distract the media. To others it is school choice. Still others see the most important thing being 2nd Amendment rights. Some see it as 1st Amendment rights. While churches have largely been cowed by the last 50–60 years of government hostility, some see it as religious freedom. Still others cherish a strong -military. Law enforcement and reduction of crime is a large one, especially after the antifa-riots and looting. Property rights. Illegal search and seizure — including “no knock” warrants and property/asset forfeiture. Still others view climate as THE issue facing mankind, and would literally sacrifice mankind itself for the planet. Others, Russian, Chinese, or other hostile government actions against us (in a variety of ways). Fair trade for some. Government set-asides for some. Social security (doubly misnamed but EVERYTHING to some seniors). Healthcare. Israel. Others, illegal immigration — ironically some on one side and some on the other — both sides just as convinced they have “the” issue. And on and on and on.
The point is not that you or one or more of your friends or me or mine has THE issue that will make or break America — one can make strong cases on nearly ALL of the ones in the preceding paragraph can lead to very serious consequences if ignored and the “bad guys” win on that issue (whichever side you or I think is bad.)
Rather, the point is precisely that different folks have different strokes that get them motivated, involved, and ultimately voting. Ron Paul rightly called out the Fed and the endless spending. Billy Graham just as rightly called out America’s falling away from God. Trump has called out the endless corruption and profiteering of what he dubbed “the Swamp” — at the expense of ordinary citizens…and their children and grandchildren.
And further, even those very citizens can be EXCEEDINGLY FICKLE on what they think is THE issue. Once conservative, liberty loving smaller government types (me included) “win” a battle, we tend to forget and get back to our real lives — children, jobs, church, neighborhoods and even hobbies or R&R for some. Churchill was thrown out of office just six months after saving the world from the Nazis.
Otto von Bismarck articulated the idea that “politics is the art of the possible” or something similar. If you don’t have the votes, you can’t get it done. Not in Congress. Not in the Texas Senate. Not in the Texas House. Not in County Commissioners court. Not in a school board trustee meeting. Not even on the SREC.
In order to have sufficient votes, one must have broad coalitions of some sort. The Democrats are very good at supporting their coalition groups they have NOTHING in common with. Republicans are not. Ron Paul Libertarians are not either — I’m not hostile to Ron Paul, I admire him greatly, but what legislative milestones did he EVER accomplish?
Dissing your more natural coalition partners or wasting your vote does not ultimately advance any conservative Christian smaller government liberty loving personal responsibility believing goals.
So back to spending and economics. It is one thing to be against deficit spending and accumulated government debt (most voters don’t know the difference). It is quite another to be able to actually do something about it. The linchpin issue, to me, is the proliferation of taxpayer funded lobbyists — including by companies who receive taxpayer money. It is certainly reprehensible for elected school boards to use taxpayer funds to pay contract lobbyists to convince lawmakers to do something that will raise taxes OR WORSE for those very taxpayers. It is nearly as bad for corporations who feed at the public trough (usually at inflated prices), to be able to divert a portion of those taxpayer funds to lobbying for more of them.
Since money is fungible, it does literally no good to simply ban the use of THAT MONEY for lobbying — the only way to accomplish anything would be to ban any entity, public or private, that receives any taxpayer money, from lobbying period. Full stop. It is an inherent conflict of interest and gross distortion of the legislative process.
Eliminating this lobbying plague on all levels of government is key to draining the swamp.
Anarchy or meaningless “statement” votes will not help with ANY of the issues. We must work against the real threats to the country — physical and spiritual — or we will remain divided and eventually fall separately.
Ultimately, that is the way Republics work — “if [we] can keep it” — or fail.
Thanks for reading my thoughts. Now go vote, responsibly. Help drain the Swamp! Our children and grandchildren deserve better!
Very truly yours,
Mark
