Everyone has now accepted that Donald Trump will be the nominee of the Republican Party. Why Donald Trump? Republicans did not want someone to speak to them in “Washington Speak”. Future candidates must address the electorate differently, if they want their message to resonate with the voters. Voters simply do not wish to expend the effort to sift through issues and simply do not want to hear about the nuances of candidates positions.
Other Republicans candidates have done a poor job of communicating their message of limited government. The general populace believes that government is the answer to the ills of this country. They have had it drilled into them in both Public and Parochial schools. Public schools have pushed the message by touting the accomplishments of Presidents like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, (New Deal)Woodrow Wilson (League of Nations Proponent and Federal Reserve Proponent) and Lyndon Johnson (Great Society). These Presidents emphasize the federal government’s role in American Society. No wonder children and young adults leave the Public School System with an exaggerated view of the importance of government. Parochial Schools properly advocate the importance of Public Service. Lost in the translation of the Public Service messaging is the importance of the individual. It is the individual to whom the message of Public Service should be directed. Government has never been a good partner to Religion. Religion speaks to the individual and addresses its flock through the church not the government. Governments all too frequently are proponents of values at odds with many religions.
Churches should be wary of government especially socialist and communist governments. Realize that there is no consensus on public values. This country has differing community values depending on where you are and which groups you address within a community. It is this lack of consensus of values that mandates the power of government remain decentralized, so it does not trample the values of the community and individual freedom.
Socialism is a predecessor to communism. It is a stop on the journey. Socialistic societies rely on a government process to provide for many of their services and eventually own the means of production. We have already seen, when you rely on a centralized government to provide funding or even government direction of education, you get message the government sanction message disseminated to pupils. Since it is a government sanctioned message, it will favor the use of government action to accomplish tasks.
Look at the history in the former Soviet Union and China. Both nations promoted the values of the state at the expense of religion. Can anyone deny that both these governments were hostile toward the individual and religion? Why? Success of these systems is dependent upon adoption of a view that government is the cure for all social ills and the values of government should be adopted for the success of the society. Does anyone doubt this is hostile to individual freedom including the freedom of religion?
Look at the Affordable Care Act. It is just the latest example of the incremental creep of socialism. This law is lauded for its compassion. It expands Medicaid. This is another entitlement program for the poor or near poor. It increases the dependence of the individual on government. Government uses its taxing authority to force individuals to pay for this program. The US government uses the dollars position as the world reserve currency to insure the individual does not immediately feel the full financial impact of these services through a reduction of pay. (Tax increases) It cannot however stop the consumer from feeling some effect of the law. (Shortage of service providers as well as increased cost of services due to increased demand on the same or dwindling supply of services) This law attempts to guarantee services be provided. It replaces charity.
Charity is the private sector solution to providing services to those unable to afford it. It has been derided as unsuitable by great society advocates because it is not sufficient. (I.e. an entitlement, right) Charity, since it is not a guarantee allows more than one method of providing the services and can even require the individual to act in a certain manner to receive benefits. The individual however still has choices. He can opt not to act in the manner prescribed by the charity and not accept their services and look for other choices of charity. (There are many providers and could be more absent additional government) He is not forced nor is the charitable donor forced. There is undoubtedly room for growth, if government removes impediments to service provision.
Additionally, incorporated within The Affordable Care Act are provision for regulations which allow government to advance its agenda in areas such as reproductive rights, end of life services, treatments available and ultimately determining the value of a life. (I.e. perhaps an elderly individual should be given a pain pill rather than a procedure to alleviate their pain) So the government is able to foist its secular values on the individual and on religion by providing what is seen as a compassionate service.
Republicans do a poor job of communicating alternatives. Individuals fear uncertainty. Government solutions pretend that scarcity does not exist. Government solutions hide economic reality by pushing costs to the future. The Affordable Care Act does not provide any real methods to increase service supply or service efficiency. Government solutions instruct that the problem is too big for any solution, but a government solution, so dependency on the government is key. Private sector solutions rely on the faith of the populace in themselves. It is the antithesis of the Nanny state. Private sector solutions must be communicated in a manner that shows what is possible, if individuals act. It can be action of an individual or group of individuals acting in concert. It does not depend on the use of government force. It can be instituted without the assent of the legislature. It can be adjusted easily. What must happen to allow this type of action to move forward expeditiously is relaxation of regulation and ultimately state tort reform. The state action desirable, but not mandatory. Private sector solutions can advance provided the heavy hand of government does not intervene to protect the status quo. The challenge of Republicans is twofold: 1)Resist temptation to act to support those with an interest in preserving the status quo. 2) Resist the impulse to jump in with a government solution, when there are the inevitable failures. (Remember, government fails regularly, but is almost never held accountable.)
Communications about the new path of the country should be philosophical in nature. It should accentuate the positive aspects of a voluntary program in education, healthcare and other services currently provided the government, while making it clear that deficiencies can be rectified by individual action without the need to request the permission of a government entity. It is a philosophy rooted in faith in the individual. You must have faith that the individual, when left to act, will act appropriately. It is the antithesis of the tyranny of the majority currently practiced by Washington.
Freedom of choice is the end product. There is no tyranny by a government or even a tyranny by a well intended democratic majority. It is the path of the almighty, who allows free will to all. It affords an opportunity for the individual to express his or her best instincts.
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