Free In Idaho!

Jonah Goldberg, author of Liberal Fascism, makes a point over at National Review about the constant call for “a new New Deal“.

Since George W. Bush was elected, liberals have been calling for new New Deals more frequently than my daughter asks “are we there yet?” whenever we’re in the car. After 9/11, Sen. Charles Schumer argued that the terrorist attack proved the need for a new New Deal, and that “the president can either lead the charge or be run over by it.” After Hurricane Katrina, left-wing journalist William Greider spoke for many when he said that the natural disaster required a “new New Deal.” Last January, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said the looming recession was all the excuse government needed. The head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rahm Emmanuel, wrote last January that we need “a New Deal for the New Economy” that provides everything from universal health care to sweeping job training, in response to globalization.

Now it’s the financial crisis that requires a you-know-what.

This, by itself, isn’t disturbing.  It’s what Liberals DO.  And for you 2008 Democrats, it’s what Progressives DO.  The constant drive to grow government until it not only touches but also controls every aspect of the American life is the logical end result of a philosophy and world view that understands mankind as basically good, but a victim of myriad outside forces.  What forces?  Racism is popular lately.  Greedy big business is another, especially big bankers and mortgage companies.  Religion.  Global warming.  Wealth.  Poverty.  Fear.  Guns.  Pregnancy.  Lack of education… all of these forces are things that the government can and should control.  Given the right people in office, and enough money, the Total New Deal will solve these and all other mankind’s problems.  Salvation.  Heaven on earth.  Hallelujah, where’s my ballot, gimme some of that!

No, that in itself isn’t disturbing.  What IS disturbing is how much of that package of poop today’s GOP has called its own.  What, you don’t believe me?  Bush’s mortgage bailout plan?  Good government?  Not by historical conservative principles.  Bush’s bailout plan is pure big government intervention where it has no business or constitutional authority.  From Cato

Some in the news industry have described all this heavy-handed political intervention as the Bush administration’s “free-market approach” to the threat of nonperforming mortgages. On the contrary, honoring contracts and property rights is absolutely essential to the proper functioning of a free society and free economy. A mortgage is a binding contract between consenting adults. A mortgage-backed security is private property. It is the antithesis of a free market for the government to fix prices, pressure mortgage service companies into renegotiating contracts, and thereby expropriate property rights of those stuck holding mortgage-backed securities.

Don’t get me started on No Child Left Behind, out of control government spending, amnesty, or the drug program.  We’ve had years of Mr Bush, so none of us can plead ignorance here.  But what about Mr McCain?  More of the same.  His environmental proposals, higher CAFE standards and global warming policies included, increase big government regulation and control of business and the way people live their lives.  Do you remember his job insurance idea?  From his website

John McCain will overhaul unemployment insurance and make it a program for retraining, relocating and assisting workers who have lost a job. The unemployment insurance system needs to be modernized to meet the goals of helping displaced workers make ends meet between jobs and moving people quickly on to the next opportunity. John McCain will reform the half-dozen training programs to approaches that can be used to meet the bills, pay for training, and get back to work. John McCain believes that we can strengthen community colleges and technical training, and give displaced workers more choices to find their way back to productive and prosperous lives.

From US News, a little more detail

McCain expanded on this in a recent chat with the editorial board of the Detroit News:

McCain said that a displaced worker who ends up at a fast-food restaurant or other lower-paying job shouldn’t be penalized because the economy is changing…. “If someone has to work at McDonald’s, I will compensate them for the loss of income for some period of time,” McCain said. “We need to compensate them for the difference as an incentive to stay in the workforce.” The concept could be costly in Michigan. Thousands of autoworkers, who are paid an average of $28 per hour, have lost jobs in recent years, and national surveys have shown that fast-food workers make an average of $7.50 to $8 per hour…. McCain said he would reallocate money spent on existing retraining programs to help pay for his proposal, although he had no estimate on how much it would cost.

My intent here is not to complain about John McCain.  My intent is to once again point out that the principles that made this country great, especially small government and individual liberty and excellence, have gone to the wayside as more and more folks across the political spectrum no longer worry about the size and direction of government, they are too concerned with growing it in their own image, and getting a bigger slice for themselves.

To the question “Are we there yet?” I can only answer, soon child, soon.  But you’re not going to like where “there” is.