Our Virtuous Republic: The Forgotten Clause in the America Social Contract by Richard D. Baris

Author:Richard D. Baris [Baris, Richard D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Conservatism & Liberalism, political science, Political Ideologies
ISBN: 9781482316001
Google: b5n8nAEACAAJ
Publisher: Createspace
Published: 2013-05-16T23:51:21.523746+00:00

The Rest Is History

In the seminal work of economist Robert Higgs, Crisis and Leviathan, he describes what is called “the ratchet effect.”[188] In periods of American history when we measure pre-crisis and post-crisis levels in the size and scope of government, we can conclude two changes have occurred. First, post-crisis levels will reveal we have realized an increase in the size and scope of government from the pre-crisis level. Even in a studied duration of normal government growth, the means by which it grows can only be accounted for by the conditions of the last crisis. Second, the retrenchment that follows is never sufficient to return government to the pre-crisis level. We get into dangerous territory when we narrowly interpret government growth in traditional terms relative to GDP, or gross domestic product. Economic measurements such as government spending as a percentage of GDP, overlook far too many elements to the phenomena of government growth, which permits despotic movement right underneath our noses. He explains “the essence of Big Government” and government growth, in such a manner a raised awareness reveals almost endless encroachments on our constitutional social contract:

“I have argued that high levels of governmental taxing, spending, and employment derive from but are not themselves the essence of Big Government; the essence is a wide scope of effective authority over economic decision-making. Authority comes first: no authority, then no taxing, spending, or employment. Authority arises from executive orders, statutes, court decisions, and the directives of regulatory agencies.”[189]

Disputing the tendency by economists, political scientists, and historians to use quantitative measures to chart the growth of government is best left to Mr. Higgs. I would certainly agree with his premise. Furthermore, I view these efforts at best, as intentional attempts to mislead, and at worst, extensions of the manufactured crisis itself; perhaps, even a preparatory conditioning for the next crisis to follow. Regardless, his findings of a ratchet effect are clear and should lead us to next discover the psychological and cultural reasons government growth has become so “necessary and proper.” While I am focusing on the expansion of the federal government, or the centralization of power, I by no means wish to dismiss the growth of other levels, such as state, city and local/county governments. There can be no doubt that the reality of everyday American life, which is tantamount to one in a police state, is dictated in great measure by all levels of government. The question I now pose is a simple one: why do we tolerate living like this? Although the growth of government, which by any measurable method has been staggering in the last 100 plus years, by majority Americans have remained ideologically conservative. Conservative politicians, or professed conservatives at least, have disappointed constituents without any substantial roll back of government authority. Yet, they are allowed to carry on careerism meeting no considerable resistance. Despite the political pendulum swinging back to the conservative movement, in reality, the campaign rhetoric, has not produced significant reform to the domestic progressive agenda.

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