Reagan's Wisdom: Antidote to Liberalism

As we fight the slide to Socialism and goodies giveaways by our elected "leaders" it is useful to return to the words of Ronald Reagan. I get frustrated arguing with those who think liberal government policies will solve our problems.

Liberalism is easy: Every problem can be solved by government. Can't pay for health care? Uncle Sam will pick up the tab. Poor? Here, have this money Uncle Sugar shook out of somebody else's pockets. Confused by too many choices in the marketplace? Bureaucrats will make those decisions for you. Protectionism, paternalism, leveling the playing field. It all sounds so attractive, and it makes people feel good.

Conservatism, on the other hand, takes thought. Where will the money for government handouts come from? What would happen if you take away incentive to work or make money? What would happen to personal initiative if government took care of everybody and shielded us from those tough decisions? If people had no more incentive and no more initiative, what would happen to our country?

Ronald Reagan, a man much greater and wiser than I, addressed all these issues decades ago. His solutions, drawn from the wisdom of the ages, healed a malaise-ridden nation whose economy had been made moribund by a half-century of liberal policies.

American Rhetoric, an on-line speech bank, has the complete text of a speech President Reagan gave at Hillsdale College. You can read the text or even listen to a recording of the speech. It will refresh your belief in free enterprise and restock your armory for doing battle with the feel-good liberals. You can read the entire text or listen to the speech here.

Here are a few excerpts:

But how much are we to blame for what has happened? Beginning with the traumatic experience of the Great Depression, we the people have turned more and more to government for answers that government has neither the right nor the capacity to provide. But government, as an institution, always tends to increase in size and power, not just this government -- any government. It's built-in. And so government attempted to provide the answers.

Ludwig von Mises said that, "Government is the only agency that can take a perfectly useful commodity like paper, smear it with some ink, and render it absolutely useless."

There’s a fellow in Indiana with a shop. He’s got seven employees. At the front and back of his tiny shop there was a twelve foot door -- each end. OSHA has just told him he has to install exit signs in the event that a new employee might become confused in case of fire and not be able to find his way out. He asked a pretty logical question. He said if he can’t see a twelve foot door, how’s he going to see that exit sign?

You know, it has been said that politics is the second oldest profession, and I've come to realize over the last few years, it bears a great similarity to the first.

But, you know, if you lose your economic, you lose your political freedom, all freedom. Freedom is something that cannot be passed on in the blood stream, or genetically. And it's never more than one generation away from extinction. Every generation has to learn how to protect and defend it, or it's gone and gone for a long, long time.

Already, many of us, particularly those in business and industry, there are too many who have switched rather than fight. And it's time that particularly, some of our corporations learned, that when you get in bed with government, you're going to get more than a good night's sleep.