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Bradley J. Birzer's avatar

Thanks, Sam. I don't consider myself a national conservative or a classical liberal (though, I'm fine with the labels conservative and libertarian), but I very much wish every non-leftist would realize that the left is the enemy, whatever our differences.

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S. T. Karnick's avatar

Spot-on, Brad. That's exactly what we need to do, and I think that this is the best way to get there.

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Daniel Sutter's avatar

Excellent essay, Sam. I think the externality conceptualization is spot on. Families are the means by which values get transmitted between generations, including the values people must internalize for markets to function. Oren Cass and the national conservatives are right on this. The offshoring of jobs which breaks families and communities imposes costs that can, on the margin, outweigh the benefits from lower priced imports. And to the extent that offshoring occurs due to taxes, regulations, and foreign government export subsidies instead of truly lower costs adds to the problem.

There is no political constituency capable of sustaining economic freedom without Trump voters. We must reach some form of fusion.

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S. T. Karnick's avatar

Thanks for the comment, Dan. Your observation about economic changes affecting families and the transmission of values over the generations is excellent. The past several decades of U.S. history serve as strong evidence of that, and the impact of those changes in values has obvious implications for support for free enterprise and individual liberty, which is showing up in young people's attitudes measured by opinion polls.

As you observe, governments, particularly the national government, have been the culprits here. I have long argued that (especially federal) taxes, regulations, fiscal mismanagement, and currency manipulation have all created massive distortions in the U.S. and global economies. No dedicated worker or small entpreneur would create a system like ours, and they would not do so en masse, either. Government did this.

The solution, then, is first to remove all these government impediments to human achievement and return to a true classical-liberal system of protection of individual liberty from force, fraud, and negative externalities. Such a system operates through blind justice, fair criminal and tort systems, elevation of criminal and tort actions over regulation in dealing with negative externalities, rule of law, defense of the realm, etc. This would require an end (probably graduated over time) of the federal welfare state for individuals and businesses alike.

Those great reforms would accomplish what the national conservatives are talking about. The job now for the right is to recognize this and get to work on publicizing this opportunity for unity and working to make it come true.

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Daniel Sutter's avatar

Libertarians like doing end runs around regulations we can't change through the political process. I'm not sure that helps our cause. See immigration.

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