Liberty and Tyranny

A friend (http://www.nuggetsoflogic.com/) lent me Mark Levin's new book Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto. I just finished the first essay and had a few thoughts.

Summary: Mark states that Conservative believe, "...in the dignity of the individual; that we, as human beings, have a right to live, live freely, and pursue that which motivates us not because man or some government says so, but because these are God-given natural rights." (2) From this Levin discusses how the founders ordered society around a set of principles, beginning with the Articles of Confederation and the eventually the Constitution. He explains that the founders believed that an all powerful central government suffocated liberty. The individual is seen as a unique, spiritual being with a soul and a conscience. The individual has the right to pursue that which they see as prudent and in their best interest. The individual also has the duty to 'contribute voluntarily to the welfare of his community through good works.'

In the remainder of the essay, Mark walks the reader through the history of how 'Statists' (Modern Liberals) have waged an assault on freedom. He speaks of Roosevelt's New Deal and how it has spiraled into 'soft tyranny' ever since. Mark warns that this matters because once liberty is lost, it is not likely to be recovered.

Agree: I agree with Levin on a few things in this first of his 10 essays. The first is the focus on the individual as a unique and spiritual being. Though I guarantee our views on what 'spiritual being' means I do think that individual people matter. I also agree that private property is essential to this countries identity.

Finally, I agree that ' An effective government that operates outside its constitutional limitations is a dangerous government."(10). We saw this when W. approved wire taps on citizens phones in the name of 'national security'.

Disagree: It amazes me that a Conservative(s) can say that individuals are unique and should, "live freely, and pursue that which motivates us not because man or some government says so, but because these are God-given natural rights." (3) and then turn around and deny marriage equality to Gay citizens. It seems that the Government can dictate who gets married but not who gets health care; this confounds me.

I also disagree with his foundationalist approach to 'truth' and 'knowledge'. Truth is contextual and 'foundations' change over time and across continents. Thomas Paine said, "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.

Finally, Levin's definitions of Conservatism and Liberalism are black and white. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground or overlap; when he mentions overlap (Michael Gerson), he condemns it. From my experience people are complex and mysterious and cannot be shoved into ideological boxes.