Many of us are chagrined by the tone of political discourse in the United States today. Some who protest the loudest are the most egregious purveyors of strident speech. If one is familiar with our history of political discussion in this country, one is aware that we have always had an element of “over-the-top” language as we debate the issues and personalities of the day. We should not be surprised when the rhetoric becomes rough and personal because it has always been so when political advantage and policy directions are at stake. Personally, I prefer that my representatives use heated language when fighting for principles. I want the people who are my surrogates in the halls of government to give no quarter when defending my liberty. The state of our nation today demands that every battle for the hearts and minds of our fellow citizens must be waged as if it were mortal combat. We are in a fight to the death.
For more than a century those who favor the expansion of government have enjoyed the steady march of government growth. With a few blips and minor detours their objective for a large, controlling federal, state and local apparatus has been achieved. From local townships and communities to the vast reaches of the federal monolith, citizens are being overwhelmed by statism that is both benign and ominous. Benign because big government advocates want every need to be met by government. Ominous because the sheer size of the Nanny State has resulted in more control over the lives and liberties of the people. It has become a trade-off…freedom exchanged for benefits. The problem with too many members of our political class is that they define their function as providing for the delivery of benefits to the populace. They go to Washington, the various state capitols, and local seats of government intending to assure that their constituents get everything that is due for them. Consequently, even the most “conservative” politician falls into the progressive/statist mode by enabling the growth of government.
For more than forty years I was a conservative activist. I served my party as a precinct committeeman, campaign manager and state legislator. As I witnessed the growth of government and the unwillingness of elected officials to confront it, I began to understand that partisan advantage was more important than principle for most public “servants.” The constant constraint of personal freedom which was the logical outcome of big government was particularly alarming for me. Although I had strong views in the social and behavioral arenas, I knew that a sudden transfer of power could radically alter the “approved” behaviors and lifestyles in our society. My reading of the Constitution led me to realize that personal freedom should not be contingent on which party controlled the reins of power. Freedom is freedom even though you may disagree with my choices. While watching the government grow, I saw my options diminished.
We’ve taken a somewhat circuitous route from uncivil political discourse to government growth and the limiting of personal liberty. Now we’ll move back to examining intense and heated language in the political realm. Sometimes when politicians are name -calling, it sounds as if a cluster of six-year olds are involved. Other times, very rare, a politician will speak forcefully and truthfully, and even if the language may be heated or intemperate, we find it refreshing. When my liberty, my property and my money are at risk, I want my representatives to be screaming from the housetops. As government continues to grow and smother the private sector, I want my representatives to head for the alleys with their brass knuckles in place. When the growth of big government threatens to drain my nation of resources, energy and creativity, I demand that my representatives be loud, be boisterous and be bold.
This is not the time for half-measures. We’ve gone too far toward establishing the statist dream. Our regulatory environment and our excessive rulemaking have severely curtailed our personal liberty. For those politicians who claim to be small-government constitutionalists, the time has come to end the compromising for every compromise costs us liberty and money. No more deal-making because the citizens get the dirty deal in the end, and the statists deal from the bottom of the deck. Listen up, small-government politicians, no more getting along, no more comity or collegiality…no more. We cannot afford your good nature. Our lives, our futures and our nation are at risk. No more.
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