The More Things Change
With the election of Joe Biden, many are expecting a dramatic change in the policies emanating from the White House. But the fact is, Biden will simply continue the trend that began with Franklin Roosevelt and has been embraced by every President since. Biden will expand the power of the federal government.
Many pundits speak of the political pendulum swinging between the political left and the political right. But the fact is, each time it swings to the left, it swings a little further. When it rarely swings to the right, it never goes as far as it once was. And sadly, both Democrats and Republicans are pushing the pendulum to the left. To understand this, political left and political right must be defined.
The political left means statism. It is a social system in which the individual is subservient to the state and exists only to serve the “public interest.” Statism is a social system in which government prescribes and proscribes what individuals may or may not do.
The political right means capitalism. It means a social system that protects individual rights, including property rights. Capitalism is a social system in which government protects the freedom of individuals to live as they choose, so long as they respect the freedom of others to do the same.
Both Progressives and conservatives embrace statism. They disagree on when and how the individual should submit to government authority, but they agree that individuals should not be free to live as they choose in every sphere of life. They disagree on details. They agree on principles.
Progressives embrace government control of health care. They embrace the Green New Deal, which will impose mandates and restrictions on energy companies and consumers. They talk of breaking up Big Tech and forcing technology companies to act as they–the Progressives–think best.
Conservatives embrace tariffs on foreign companies in order to “save” American jobs at the expense of American consumers. They embrace seizing private property to build a border wall and keep out “undesirables.” They talk of breaking up Big Tech and forcing technology companies to act as they–the conservatives–think best.
In each of these examples, and many others, both Progressives and conservatives want government to control the actions of individuals. They want individuals to be subservient to their demands and dictates.
This hasn’t changed in decades. It certainly didn’t change under Trump, and it won’t change under Biden.