At a time when more and more of our personal liberties are being encroached upon daily, I expect the Republican presidential candidates to have a clear idea of how they plan to begin restoring these liberties.
There are laws dictating or restricting just about anything we do. It ranges from major and necessary things to how fast we can drive, what kind of car we drive, and all the way down to what kind of lightbulb or appliances we’re allowed to buy.
One of the often overlooked aspects of liberty is debt. Having to pay 90% of one’s income directly into a mortgage payment makes one feel stressed, under pressure, and perhaps even enslaved to that debt. The important thing, however, is that this mortgage agreement was entered into by choice. The end of the mortgage is just a home sale away.
Continuing to rapidly increase the size of the government, however, is not the choice of many Americans. Despite the choices we make at the ballot box, whether win or lose, the federal government has continued to grow. By the time Barack Obama leaves office our national debt will have almost doubled. As of last week, each tax payer’s share of that debt reached $158,000.
Like our personal debt, the national debt is too an issue of personal freedom.
During last night’s debate, Bret Baier asked:
“Gentlemen, I’ll ask you some questions about federal spending and the role of the federal government. Everybody always said they want to cut federal spending and usually they start by saying they’ll cut waste, fraud and abuse, but that really doesn’t ever materialize. We all know that.
Governor Christie, you talk a lot about entitlement reform and you say that that’s where the federal government can get savings needed to balance the budget. But can you name even one thing that the federal government does now that it should not do at all?”
Chris Christie took the opportunity to mention his defunding of Planned Parenthood as governor of New Jersey.
Yes, ending the government subsidization of abortion is something that must be done across all states and fighting to end the practice of terminating life in the womb is a key principle of conservatism and of Christianity. Christie’s answer, however, did not address the question posed by Baier.
The question specifically mentioned entitlement reform, balancing the budget, and federal waste and deserved much more attention than it received.
Trying to get a more thorough answer from Christie, Baier by followed up with “Anything bigger than that?” From a financial perspective, Christie’s answer was, effectively, no.
Daniel Horowitz highlights the problem:
“It goes without saying that any Republican must be unflinching in their resolve to defund taxpayer-subsidized abortions, but this issue cannot be used as a loin cloth to obfuscate their love for the broader federal behemoth.
This is why we never shrink the size of government. Every Republican runs on feigned outrage about the size of government but is unable to mention a single agency within the Departments of Education, Energy, HUD, Commerce, Agriculture, Labor, Interior, Transportation, or HHS that they would cut or devolve to the states. Not to mention the numerous independent agencies and offices under the direct auspices of the White House, such as the pseudo civil rights offices.”
As Horowitz points out, Christie embodied the problem with today’s Republican party by ignoring the key problem outlined in Baier’s question. Fiscally speaking, they are all bark with no bite. Politicians often highlight one of their accomplishments in such a way that detracts from the fact that they still continue expanding the government and increasing the debt. Pointing out ways to reduce the size and scope of the government should make a fiscal conservative’s eyes light up with possibilities.
And as they continue to get elected, these politicians – Tea Party candidates included – consistently fail to practice what they preach and use key, appealing accomplishments to distract voters from the underlying problem that remains.
It’s important to note that not one candidate attempted to add anything after Gov. Christie’s answer. This would have been an opportune moment for someone to interrupt and properly address the issue of the leviathan that is our federal government.
With each day, our personal liberties gradually erode. The national debt and the size of the federal government has its boot to our necks.
Keep track of our national debt and of your share as a taxpayer here.
Featured image via YouTube
