Andrew Canfield

Muddling the Middle

Jan 25, 2011 at 9:06 AM

By Andrew Canfield

It appears for the time being that the president’s uptick in approval is continuing, as this morning’s Rasmussen Reports number have him at the highest level in well over a year (52% approval). This is unfortunate, as he appeared to be on the ropes after the November mid-terms, a circumstance combated since then, by, as our media talking heads love to say, “tacking to the middle.” As is always the case in politics, words really do mean something, and “the middle” might have a different meaning had Republicans stood more firm on what constituted the limited government side of the aisle.

But having not yet mustered the courage to battle entitlements in any meaningful way (and who can blame them, as an uproar would ensure from most of the population if benefits started being curtailed) "the political middle" is almost devoid of meaning. Apparently, cutting taxes without offsetting spending cuts is somehow the "middle" in our modern day political dialect; Republicans did those sort of things in the early to mid 2000's while in power, so most of the public just assumes Obama doing the same must mean he is now adopting some of the other side's ideas.

Church, State, and Cohesiveness

Jan 18, 2011 at 1:18 PM

By Andrew Canfield

The robust separation of Church and State at the federal level that we enjoy as Americans was never intended as an attack on people of faith; it was designed to guard against the sort of tribalism that ensues when this wall does is not present. While religion could be established at the state level, it was understood for centuries that the federal government had no role in this sphere whatsoever. This is a concept that conservative Christians who view government meddling with suspicion should not scoff at, but instead readily embrace as a guarantor of social cohesion.

After all, why should government be involved in religious matters in the first place? If the only reason for government’s existence is to protect citizen’s life, liberty, and property, regardless of race or religion, why should they have any say on religion? Enforcing contracts and protecting the states from invasion are things that can be embraced by Christians, Jews, and agnostics alike. The few functions that Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution grants to Congress are religiously neutral; this stems from its authors' admiration for the ideas of localism.

World Economic Freedom

Jan 13, 2011 at 5:51 PM

By Andrew Canfield

So the 2011 Index of Economic Freedom has been released, and the United States has fallen in the standings for the second straight year. Hong Kong and Singapore once again topped the list. After having dropped from the "Free" to "Mostly Free" classification in 2009, the U.S. is now unable to claim the status of freest nation in North America (a bragging right belonging to Canada at #6, three spots ahead of us.)

Our slide over the last year was chalked up to increased government spending and uncertainty regarding federal regulations. Perhaps we can reign in the constant growth of the federal government with new incoming Senators and Congressman like Rand Paul, Mike Lee, and Justin Amash. It is inexcusable for the U.S. to continue sliding in these rankings -- we have bountiful natural resources and massive amounts of capital just waiting to be unleashed. We need to keep pressing forward and working toward the day when the U.S. will be #1 in the Economic Freedom Index. When we have a government that sticks to its enumerated powers (and a citizenry willing to hold them accountable when they do not do so) this will become a reality sooner than we might think.

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Collectivism in Media

Jan 10, 2011 at 6:07 PM

By Andrew Canfield

The shameless attempts by the media to pin Saturday's shooting in Arizona on a single politician or commentator are downright Orwellian. Though this author is no apologist for all things Republican, calling out the absurdity churned out by our 24/7 sensationalist news is sometimes necessary. Though the cast of characters varies, the constant attempts to immediately blame random acts of violence on some third party to score cheap political points is inexcusable.

It magnifies the collectivist mind set dominating modern society, where the actions of a deranged individual can never be labeled as such. It is assumed they must have been the fault of someone else; personal accountability is replaced with the mentality of groupthink. Efforts to tie the shooting to Mrs. Palin or the Tea Party, aside from being beyond a stretch, show the blame game Americans are becoming experts at playing. Never mind that most in the Tea Party reject any act of violence not undertaken in self-defense; these are inconvenient facts that must take a back seat to the statist agenda.

True Fed Accountability Just Around the Corner

Jan 5, 2011 at 11:39 AM

By Andrew Canfield

So the fox is finally guarding the henhouse, a fact noticed by the Asia Times in relation to Ron Paul's new monetary policy oversight duties.

Hopefully Congressman Paul can use his post to shed some light on the Federal Reserve' shenanigans over the preceding years. At a minumum, he now has a platform to raise awareness about the central bank's inflationary policies to let the electorate know that an alternative is out there. Most of us went through the bulk of, if not all, of our formal education without hearing even a hint that an alternative to massive public debt and fiat money exists. I know I had not heard the term 'Austrian economics' until the 2008 presidential primaries. This serves as quite the indictment of the state of secondary education, one amplified by the fact that I had been through numerous classes on money and economics by that point.

But there is hope this will soon change -- and sooner rather than later.