A recent reading of Robert Ringer’s “Restoring the American
Dream” got me to thinking about what I really want from a government. In a vein not unlike Ayn Rand’s thinking, I believe
that governmental functions should boil down to three high level elements:
- Provide for the protection of the lives and property of citizens
- Provide for a system of arbitrating contractual disputes
- Provide for a national defense
These three elements form the foundation of real freedom, although
not a free lunch, for all of a government’s citizens. If this foundation is deemed reasonable, then what steps can
we take to rebuild our government upon that foundation?
Ringer suggests eight steps that I believe are worthy of serious debate.
Ringer suggests eight steps that I believe are worthy of serious debate.
- Political leaders should be held to one term and only one term.
- Income taxes should be phased out completely for all citizens over the next 25 years or so.
- No new money programs beyond current level replacement spending should be allowed. Eliminating deficits eliminates the need for money supply inflation.
- Redistribution of wealth functions need to be eliminated; some in the short term and some over the long term. This includes the elimination of many governmental services which should become part of the non-governmental economy over a sufficiently lengthy window of time.
- Supply and demand should be allowed to rein.
- Most governmental property should be sold and the proceeds used to pay off the national debt. Did you know that the Government owns approximately 30% of all our Nation’s land including 98% of Alaska and 86% of Nevada?
- Repeal all victim-less crime laws and release and pardon those currently imprisoned for the same.
- Stop interference in the affairs of other nations; including foreign aid spending.
If the above doesn’t stoke some powerful thinking, try these nuggets:
- Property rights and human rights cannot be separated
- Capitalism has not failed, rather capitalism burdened by government intervention has failed
- Forced equality means a loss of freedom by definition
- Equal opportunity and equality are two very different things
Till next time… all the best.
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