Conservatism for the new decade

Conservatives need fresh policy ideas. Despite the movement’s new energy and passion, as embodied by the Tea Party, it’s still based on the simple concepts of lower taxes and less government. While these are fine goals, they are not strategies.

The adversaries are well entrenched in their positions, surrounded by high walls of special-interest groups and defended by armies of public-sector unions and lobbyists. While our numbers are vastly superior, we need more than simply a frontal assault to conquer their hilltop fortress. After all, they have grown stronger despite the legacy of Reagan and the 1994 Repubublican Revolution. And, they continue erecting their barricades even now, despite the elections in New Jersey and Massachusetts.

Just as the canon rendered castles defenseless, Republicans need a new weapon to defeat the pork-infested, yet heavily defended, Democratic castle.

Over the next several postings, I will discuss several specific policy ideas that I think would redefine the political landscape and make the Left’s position untenable. My ideas may seem radical or unconservative at first, but each is carefully designed to chip away at the masonry of the enemy’s reboubt. Some could become like tremors that break the stones free, while others would be like artillery, blasting away entire constituencies and voter blocs while leaving the Pelosis, Reids and Obamas of the world isolated and weak.

First, I will focus on why the established agenda of tax cuts is outmoded,. The in subsequent posts, I will list specific policy ideas.

So, first of all, what’s wrong with tax cuts?

The answer is that a growing number of voters no longer pay any income tax thanks to years of targeted tax cuts, credits and exemptions. The Tax Foundation found that only 68 percent of Americans paid federal income tax in 2007, the smallest proportion since at least 1950. That contrasts with levels over 80 percent when the Reagan Revolution swept America.

Data for 2008 and 2009 isn’t available, but the percentage of people who pay taxes will be even smaller because unemployment has doubled from 5 percent to 10 percent in the past two years. In other words, the natural constituency for Americans who will benefit from tax cuts has shrunk by about one-quarter from the Gipper’s glory days:

Source: The Tax Foundation

The second reason why lower income taxes are losing their luster is that many voters will face higher state and local taxes. Thirty-five of the 50 states plan to raise taxes or fees to cover their massive budget deficits, according to Stateline.org. Americans are about to get slammed by higher property taxes, sales taxes and fees on everything from vehicles to hunting and fishing licenses. Conservatives must offer a solution to the bigger problem of government waste rather than simply focusing on lower marginal income taxes.

The third reason is that many people believe the religion of liberalism, which says “the rich should pay more.” Never mind the fact that most truly wealthy have the ability to pay minimal taxes. Millions of people simply love the notion of a progressive tax because it sounds “fair” to them. No amount of logic will persuade them otherwise. As a result it’s best to change the message. Our agenda isn’t simply lower taxes. After all, it smaller government and more liberty. All of my posts in coming days will focus on those objectives.

It's the end of the post, now what?

Bookmark and share to spread the word, we'd really appreciate it:
ReTweet:	Join our email list:	Subscribe to our feed: