Well, I think…

Here’s a zinger from the comments of a post entitled Lawn Economics at Cafe Hayek.   The post, by Don Boudreaux, addressed an opinion column in USA Today that concluded that “front lawns are wasteful and environmentally destructive.”

Using similar logic and personal preference, Boudreaux points out that newspapers are essentially wasteful as well.

Now, while neither the author of the USA Today column or Boudreaux in his parody outright supported government involvement (in fact the columnist specifically wrote this wasn’t a good idea), commenter Eric wrote something I care to remember:

Why is it so hard for people to avoid turning their personal preferences into moral imperatives that need to be imposed on others by force?

We hear it every day.  I’m probably guilty of it myself.  It usually starts with, “Well, I think…” and is followed by some version of the following, “that something is bad so we shouldn’t have it.”

First, to Boudreaux’s point, we often make such statements through flimsy logic and bad facts and we show that we really

Lack of Understanding and Appreciation of Nation’s Founding Documents

I couldn’t agree with Don Boudreaux of Cafe Hayek more regarding his letter to USA Today.

Sandra Day O’Connor and George Nethercutt are correct that too many Americans lack sufficient understanding and appreciation of U.S. history and of the meaning of this nation’s founding documents (“Celebrate America by learning about her,” July 3).  In no group of Americans does this ignorance run more deeply and malignantly than it does for those in Congress and in the White House.

Aimed at ensuring that there would be no misunderstanding, the Tenth amendment makes clear what James Madison wrote in Federalist #45 about the U.S. Constitution: “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the Federal Government, are few and defined.”  Those few powers are enumerated and defined in Article I, Section 8.  Read the 429 words of this part of the Constitution and you’ll find no authority there (or anywhere else in the Constitution) for Uncle Sam to enforce minimum wages; to command Americans to purchase health insurance; to dictate the hiring practices of private firms; to operate a universal ‘pension’ program; to oversee or fund education; to subsidize farmers – indeed, no authority to do so much of what Washington does today as a matter of routine.

Yet every elected official in America swears an oath to uphold the Constitution.  Clearly, these oaths are muttered insincerely or in inexcusable ignorance (or both).

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux

One thing I look for in a politician is evidence that he or she first understands the rules that they are signing up uphold and second agrees that the rules say want they were intended to say.

Journalism is in a really sad state when it can’t even seem to ask this basic question of candidates seeking elected office.  Of course, along with the elected officials, most journalists only have a vague understanding of the Nation’s founding documents and they feel comfortable granting government whatever it needs “to get the job done”, whether or not that job actually falls within the defined role of government or not.