Fiscally Conservative: Clarification

Fiscally Conservative: Clarification

After I posted "Fiscally Conservative," I realized that the ending was, in a few respects,
simplistic.

There are people, who say they are fiscally conservative, or (with less sophistication) don’t use such hifalutin language, but think this. Among some, generally racists, they believe that the Federal government is simply giving welfare to blacks, who could work, but don’t. Since welfare is all but eradicated, this kind of thinking may have diminished, but long held views do not disappear "over night."

Then there are those who falsely generalize from a specific instance of what they think (perhaps properly, perhaps not) is wasteful and unneeded governmental spending. Seek and ye shall find. They sought and they found.

But perhaps these kinds of examples can be summarized under the category of those who feel that government is simply bad, or that big government is bad, so usually it is often expressed as a denigration of big government and a call for small government. This way of looking at government is perhaps culturally unique to the United States. (An extreme version of this view is libertarianism, which itself comes in different flavors, from the absolute form–no government, not even police, courts, or public streets [a view held by Ludwig von Mises and my former colleague, now deceased, Murray Rothbard]–to modified forms that generally allow big military expenditures and whatever else meets the fancy of the specific libertarian. Look at Ron Paul closely and you’ll understand. Or perhaps read carefully Ayn Rand, a writer for teen-agers and those who never rise intellectually above their teens.

But the same people who think government is bad are lined up with all the others for aid after the dikes burst or the tornado or hurricane hits. They accepted government-subsidized flood insurance at places of risk, such as Fire Island (truly an example of inappropriate fiscal policy, and one I participated in, when I had a house there, since, well, it was available). Others feel huge agricultural supports are justifiable. Still others heartily approve of Pell Grants and want even more aid given to students going or intending to go to college, especially since its expense is rising so.

I still think I was correct to say wealthier persons mouth the words–fiscally conservative–but do so because they think they, themselves, will be financially better off (and in general have not thought seriously about the pluses and minuses of government spending and taxes or maybe they have and simply don't care). But there are many others who think this way, because this is the kind of culture we live in (and all sorts of smart people from Milton Friedman on down influence them or, I would say, manipulate them).

I still very much enjoy reading the reincarnated Ben Stein, who in his earlier life was a "fiscal conservative" [until a few weeks or months ago], who is now calling for as massive a stimulus program as the President-elect says he favors. I take joy where I find it. Thank you, Ben Stein.