On a political strategy to recover our republic

America’s required systemic transformation in returning to its proper republican form of government cannot be an exercise in applied economics nor an application of political science. It must be understood that these changes will involve human beings and will affect their day-to-day lives.

The necessary changes will create new groups of apparent gainers and losers. I say, "apparent" because, as the market re-establishes itself as interventions are removed and taxes reduced, the "apparent" losers will still be gainers through economic growth, the return of prosperity, lower unemployment, a more sound dollar, and rising wages.

Nevertheless, the relative political and economic strength of various groups will shift as the very necessary transformations occur.

In order to be successful, the leaders must clearly formulate, clearly articulate and, yes, "sell" these necessary changes to the voters with a positive and compelling vision for the future. This was the genius of Ronald Reagan—the “great communicator.”

Indeed, the first task must the formulation of a unified vision within the caucus itself. Every member must speak with the same voice, reinforce the same concepts, and deliver the same positive vision in every public discourse.

The vision must be straightforward. It cannot be "fuzzy." And, it must motivate. It must effectively move the hearts of men and women in the center of political spectrum.

The vision and the speaking will require clarity in both “yeses” and “nos.” It must be stated in an "ideal" form, while acknowledging that reaching the ideal will take time and will require a process.

Most importantly, the vision must clearly reject all the alternative means and half-measures or you will have lost your path. Half-measures will never do the job.
In fact, half-measures are worst of all, because the voters—and our political opponents—will say, "We've given you your chance; we've given your methods a try; and we are little improved. Now, we'll do it our way."

It will be necessary to make temporary accommodations for the those who see themselves as "losers" in certain transformations. While this is necessary, make it clearly understood why it is necessary and why the accommodations are temporary.

Remember: "Selling" the vision is much more difficult and complicated than it seems at first glance. It will require leaders to address the people directly and clearly; to present your arguments compellingly and with conviction; and to be prepared to defend against the arguments that will naturally be cast against your vision. It will require endurance.

We are here to help.

“I Want Your Money”

Funny! Thought-provoking!

I liked it so much, I bought my own copy!

Some optimism and common sense…

I think the American people broadly remain wise; broadly remain convinced that a benevolent government is not always a benefactor; broadly remain convinced that capitalism does not just make us better off--it makes us, in some sense, better. They're broadly convinced that when Jack Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country," one sensible response is that one thing you can do for your country is to reserve a spacious portion of your own life for which you--not your country--are responsible.

I think most Americans still understand what Milton Friedman meant when he said: Take any three letters from the alphabet, put them in any order you want, and you will have an acronym designating a federal agency we could do without.

I think most Americans still understand what Robert Frost meant when he said, "I'm against a homogenized society because I want the cream to rise."

And, most of all, I think they understand what Ronald Reagan meant when he said, "I don't want to go back to the past; I want to go back to the past way of facing the future."

– George Will

No Quick Fix

"[W]e must realize there is no quick fix. At the same time, however, we cannot delay in implementing an economic program aimed at both reducing tax rates to stimulate productivity and reducing the growth in government spending to reduce unemployment and inflation." -- Ronald Reagan (1981)

A Turning Point

"It's time to recognize that we've come to a turning point. We're threatened with an economic calamity of tremendous proportions, and the old business-as-usual treatment can't save us. Together, we must chart a different course.

"We must increase productivity. That means making it possible for industry to modernize and make use of the technology which we ourselves invented. That means putting Americans back to work. And that means above all bringing government spending back within government revenues, which is the only way, together with increased productivity, that we can reduce and, yes, eliminate inflation." -- Ronald Reagan (1981)

Work together... act responsibly... a little common sense

"[M]y fellow citizens, let us join in a new determination to rebuild the foundation of our society, to work together, to act responsibly. Let us do so with the most profound respect for that which we preserved as well as with sensitive understanding and compassion for those who must be protected.

"We can leave our children with an unrepayable massive debt and a shattered economy, or we can leave them liberty in a land where every individual has the opportunity to be whatever God intended us to be. All it takes is a little common sense and recognition of our own ability. Together we can forge a new beginning for America." -- Ronald Reagan (1981)

Judgment Day: We're out of time

"Over the years we've let negative economic forces [like government spending, government debt, inflation and taxes] run out of control. We stalled the judgment day, but we no longer have that luxury. We're out of time." -- Ronald Reagan

See post below to TAKE ACTION TODAY!

Thank you.

Stop the sharing of scarcity!

"Our aim is to increase our national wealth so all will have more, not just redistribute what we already have, which is just a sharing of scarcity. We can begin to reward hard-working and risk-taking, by forcing this Government to live within its means." -- Ronald Reagan (1981)

There should be only ONE special interest

"I urge those great institutions in America, business and labor, to be guided by the national interest.... The only special interest that we will serve is the interest of all the people." -- Ronald Reagan (1981)

We cannot continue any longer our wasteful ways... at the expense of our children

"We can, with compassion, continue to meet our responsibility to those who, through no fault of their own, need our help. We can meet fully the other legitimate responsibilities of government. We cannot continue any longer our wasteful ways at the expense of the workers of this land or of our children." -- Ronald Reagan (1981)

We cannot delay

"We must realize there is no quick fix. At the same time, however, we cannot delay in implementing an economic program aimed at both reducing taxes to stimulate productivity and reducing growth in government spending to reduce unemployment and inflation." -- Ronald Reagan (1981)

Together, we must chart a different course

"[G]overnment policies... [are] responsible for our economic troubles. We forgot or just overlooked the fact that government -- any government -- has a built-in tendency to grow. Now, we all had a hand in looking to government for benefits as if government had some source of revenue other than our earnings. Many, if not most, of the things we thought of or that government offered to us seemed attractive.

....

"It's time to recognize that we've come to a turning point. We're threatened with an economic calamity of tremendous proportions, and the old business-as-usual treatment can't save us. Together, we must chart a different course." -- Ronald Reagan (1981)

Over-regulated and over-taxed

"Regulations adopted by government with the best of intentions have added $666 [in 1980, that is $1,745.57 in 2009 dollars] to the cost of an automobile. It is estimated that altogether regulations of every kind, on shopkeepers, farmers, and major industries, add $100 billion [in 1980, that is $262.1 billion in 2009 dollars] or more the cost of goods and services we buy. And then another $20 billion [in 1980, or $52.4 billion in 2009 dollars] is [taxed away from you and me and] spent by government handling the paperwork created by those regulations." -- Ronald Reagan (1981)

This strategy depends on the will of the people to regain control of their government

"[W]hat I am proposing is a strategy which encompasses many elements -- none of which can do the job alone, but all of which together can get it done. This strategy [depends] on the will of the people to regain control of their government.

"[T]he economy concerns more than mere statistics -- it concerns people, families, human hopes, and human suffering." -- Ronald Reagan (1980)

Why this long series with Ronald Reagan?

Simply because I cannot say it better, and because so much of what he said still has powerful relevance today.

Not to dream as we once dreamed

"[Some] say we must cut our expectations, conserve and withdraw, that we must tell our children… not to dream as we once dreamed." -- Ronald Reagan (1980)

Many of us are unhappy...

"Many of us are unhappy about our worsening economic problems, about the constant crisis atmosphere…, about our diminishing prestige…, about the weakness in our economy…, about our lack of strong, straightforward leadership. And many Americans today, just as they did 200 years ago, feel burdened, stifled and sometimes even oppressed by government that has grown too large, too bureaucratic, too wasteful, too unresponsive, too uncaring about people and their problems.

"Americans, who have always known that excessive bureaucracy is the enemy of excellence and compassion, want a change in public life - a change that makes government work for people. They seek a vision of a better America, a vision of society that frees the energies and ingenuity of our people while it extends compassion to the lonely, the desperate, and the forgotten.

"I believe we can embark on a new age of reform in this country and an era of national renewal - an era that will reorder the relationship between citizen and government, that will make government again responsive to the people, that will revitalize the values of family, work, and neighborhood and that will restore our private and independent social institutions. These institutions always have served as both a buffer and bridge between the individual and the state - and these institutions, not government, are the real sources of our economic and social progress as a people.

"That's why I've said… that we must control and limit the growth of federal spending, that we must reduce tax rates to stimulate work and savings and investment. That's why I've said we can relieve labor and business of burdensome, unnecessary regulations and still maintain high standards of environmental and occupational safety. That's why I've said we can reduce the cost of government by eliminating billions lost to waste and fraud in the federal bureaucracy…. And, because we are a Federation of sovereign states, we can restore the health and vitality of state and local governments by returning to them control over programs best run at those levels of government closer to the people. We can fight corruption while we work to bring into our government women and men of competence and integrity." -- Ronald Reagan (1980)

Sound, stable, and predictable monetary policy

"[A] sound, stable, and predictable monetary policy is essential to restoring economic health." -- Ronald Reagan (1980)

We created government as our servant, not our master

"[In America], we gave birth to an entirely new concept in man's relation to man. We created government as our servant, beholden to us and possessing no powers except those voluntarily granted to it by us. Now a self-anointed elite in our nation's capital would have us believe we are incapable of guiding our own destiny. They practice government by mystery, telling us it's too complex for our understanding. Believing this, they assume we might panic if we were to be told the truth about our problems.

"Why should we become frightened? No people who have ever lived on this earth have fought harder, paid a higher price for freedom, or done more to advance the dignity of man than the living Americans - the Americans living in this land today. There isn't any problem we can't solve if government will give us the facts. Tell us what needs to be done. The get out the way and let us have at it." -- Ronald Reagan (1976)

This is the issue... self-government

"This is the issue…: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capitol can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves." -- Ronald Reagan (1964)