The “Leave Us Alone” Conservative Coalition

Conservative-activist Grover Norquist, (founder of Americans for Tax Reform), has written an enlightening new book entitled, “Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government’s Hands off our Money, our Guns, our Lives.”

In this in-depth study, Norquist attempts to fundamentally define the components that have driven the conservative, Reagan coalition over the past 25 years.

It’s a very informative examination of the competing motives behind our political system. As I have written before, there are only three motivating factors, outside what Norquist calls “Legacy Voters” who blindly vote out of loyalty to their parents, which determine one’s affiliation: the Ideology of the Left, the Ideology of the Right and Patronage.

Patronage is easy, it’s the method by which you selfishly choose the politician that promises you the most benefits. It’s the static, “fixed pie” scenario of carving up the goodies. But, as Reagan so rightly said, “America is about more than who gets what.”

The Ideology of the Left offers the option of what Norquist terms a “Takings Coalition,” where people put forward a thinly disguised patronage system under the philosophy of “working together for a better world.” This is the home of socialistic, egalitarian reformers, otherwise known as: trial lawyers, labor unions, Utopian micromanagers, big city political machines and the welfare industry (both dependents and deliverers). They are all united by one thing-- their desperate appetite for other people’s money through ever-increasing taxes.

The “Takings Coalition” turn JFK’s famous quote on its head by asking not what they can do for their country, but asking what the country can do for them. The “country,” after all, can’t spend one dime without forcibly taking it from another private citizen. Some call it charity, but this transfer of wealth is really “legalized plunder,” as the philosopher Frederick Bastiat noted in his landmark book “The Law.” Charity invokes the idea of Free Will, but the last time I checked, the IRS doesn’t permit “no” for an answer. In addition, it’s a fundamentally flawed system. The more one taxes and transfers wealth, the more one damages the incentives that create wealth in the first place. That’s why all socialist experiments around the world ultimately fail. Socialism simply cannibalizes the wealth that capitalism creates.

The Ideology of the Right offers the option of “Being Left Alone.” These are people united in their desire to have lower taxes, fewer regulations and greater freedom to live their lives without government intrusion. It’s not an anti-government coalition however, because these people want a responsible government that will provide for a valid criminal justice system and an adequate national defense. These principles of security are the very reason why governments are organized. These safeguards help to make “Being Left Alone” more accessible for all because they allow people to live their lives free from the threats of domestic crime or foreign aggression. By contrast, the “Takings Coalition” erroneously believes that the existence of laws and armies, by themselves, is the sole reason why we have bad behavior. Their political answer is always based upon capitulation and appeasement that favors the aggressor at the expense of the innocent victim.

Some people question whether this Center-Right “Leave Us Alone” coalition truly aims to advance liberty when some regard the Religious Right as a type of Theocratic tyranny. Norquist tackles this question openly and honestly. In his book, he relates how the religious conservatives first became aligned with this Coalition. It wasn’t when prayer was taken out of school or when Roe v. Wade legalized abortion. It happened after the Carter administration attempted to raise taxes on Christian schools and regulate religious radio with the Fairness Doctrine- something that Hillary Clinton has vowed to utilize if she becomes President. So again, it was religious people who wanted to be left alone in their schools and radio stations that first created the so-called Religious Right movement. Ironically, this happened only a few years after Jimmy Carter had built a strong, Christian coalition for his campaign in 1976.

Norquist sees a bright future for the “Leave Us Alone” coalition. More and more Americans are becoming investors in the stock market. Their mutual funds, IRAs and 401Ks are making them converts to the Center-Right Republican Party. Every time a “Takings Coalition” politician talks about raising taxes “on the rich,” they begin to lose Democrats who’ve come to realize there’s a target now drawn on their retirement accounts. A recent Rasmussen poll demonstrates how, over time, stock market investors become 20% more likely to vote Republican. The trend toward individual stock ownership will continue to erode elements of the “Takings Coalition” in the future.

The bottom line for the “Leave Us Alone” coalition is Individualism and Independence. Norquist defines the top agenda items as: school choice; personalizing both Social Security and Healthcare; outsourcing government work to the private sector; and, advocating “transparency” in government. These are all initiatives for greater self-empowerment and less overall dependency on government.

Texas is one of several states that has recently placed all of their state business online for everyone to see. In Texas, every check written by the state can now be tracked on the web. This movement portends an ill fate for old-style political machines that are full of corruption, sweetheart deals and slush funds, i.e. the “meat and potatoes” of the “Takings Coalition.”

Norquist insists that his book is an accurate portrayal of the current political players. He states that the Conservative Movement has always been about conserving our Founding Father’s concept of God-given, Individual Rights to life, liberty and property. The Ideology of America’s Constitutional Framers was based upon limited government, because they understood that only by limiting government, can one maximize freedom. (send comments to WFC83197, or mail to POB 114, Jacksboro, TN 37757)