New beginnings bring new opportunities. The beginning of a new presidential and congressional term is no exception. President Bush and Congress have the unique opportunity to shape American society for many years to come.
History shows only a few presidents were willing to pursue a large-scale vision at their own peril. George Washington risked his very life to found a new nation. Franklin Delano Roosevelt instituted the far-reaching socialist policies of the New Deal. Lyndon Johnson again turned to big government to declare “War on Poverty” and build his “Great Society.” Reagan predicted the Soviet Union would end up on “the ash heap of history,” and he ensured that outcome without ever firing a shot.
Our current president also has a far-reaching vision that he seems to be willing to pursue at his own peril. Bush seeks a world where freedom and liberty reign at home and abroad. Although much attention has been given to his foreign policy, the quest for freedom begins at home. For how can we spread freedom across the world when we ourselves are truly not free? To do this, Bush will develop a “ownership society,” giving people more control and responsibility for every area of their life.
“In America’s ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence,” Bush said in his inaugural address last week. “This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act and the G.I. Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time. To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools, and build an ownership society.”
Because of an archaic tax-system, unbridled government spending and harmful regulations, the United States has lost its competitive edge in the world of economic freedom. According to the 2005 Index of Economic Freedom, published jointly by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, the United States no longer has one of the world’s 10 freest economies, but ranks 12th behind such countries as Chile, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Many think of freedom in terms of the intangible guarantees we have in the Bill of Rights: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, etc.. But real liberty lies in the ability to provide for yourself and do as you please with what you earn.
“Painfully we have learned that the more we ask of government, the less we have of freedom,” Sen. Jim Demint (R-S.C.) once wrote. “When we ask the government for services that should be provided by individuals and free markets, we do less of the things that keep us free, and the government does more of the things that restrict freedom, like higher taxes from working people to support government programs that create public dependence.”
Bush’s vision requires substantial reform throughout government and a rolling back of many of the socialist policies enacted throughout the 20th century. This includes fundamental changes in the way the government approaches social security, healthcare, taxes and education.
Beginning with the Progressive Movement of the late 19th century, continuing with the New Deal of the 1930s and 40s and finally culminating with Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society,” the federal government has become a monolith, daily infringing on the freedom of Americans. The Government’s “War on Poverty” has been an abysmal failure because it creates legions of citizens who look to the government for their subsistence. Unfortunately, poverty is still with us and it will remain with us, until the federal government is thrown back in the cage the founders designed for it.
Creating an “ownership society” must begin in Congress. Ownership requires responsibility. It’s beyond time for Congress to be responsible with the people’s money and eliminate wasteful programs and pork-barrel spending.
The American people have re-elected a Republican House, Senate and president for the first time in 76 years. Thankfully we have a president who seeks to take advantage of this historical opportunity by enacting a sweeping agenda that will return America to its role as the world’s beacon for freedom.