Progress = Forget the Past

Ideas about government, its size and scope have changed very little over the years. What does change is our perspective and recollection of what has happened before. Frederic Bastiat's essays from 150 years ago are just as apropos today as they were then. The labels, how they are explained and used and how they are applied to specifics of the era, country and the situation make them sound different, but they are not.

Most of the discussions on government policies and laws are fundamentally about where we want to be on the governmental spectrum. On the far left is absolute governmental control and no or very little personal freedom. This has many faces and control is asserted via religion, nationalism or idealism and includes forms of communism, fascism and totalitarianism. On the far right is anarchy or the complete absence of governmental control and total personal freedom.

The founding fathers established a government right of center emphasizing individual freedoms and liberties, limited government, equal justice and equality of opportunity. The government they designed and implemented was the meant that anyone could grow up to be anything in America.

Liberal progressive meddling has moved us left of center, preferring bigger government, more spending and limitations on our personal freedoms, social justice, equality of outcomes and a limited or narrow disparity between the poorest and the wealthiest citizens.