Friday, May 14th, 2010

A big thank you to Dr. Morrisey for his insights today on Federalist 13, and his broader thoughts on the themes  of Federalist 1–14.

We especially appreciate Dr. Morrisey coming back later in the day! The exchange between Dr. Morrisey and  Marc Stauffer on the relationship between economics and morality hit on an important founding principle.  Free enterprise is more than an economic issue or theory; it is a moral issue.

Mr. Stauffer brought up the fact that we “tend to look at our government in terms of economic remedies/gain and less at its moral implications.”  Dr. Morrisey expounded on this by pointing out that “The Founders understood the relation between morality and economics in a much more careful way than we do.”

Indeed, there is a moral case to be made for free enterprise:  People should have the freedom to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams; our children should not be held back by the debt of our generation; the tax burden of our country should not fall on a minority of our citizens, and at death parents should be able to pass on to their children the assets they worked hard for all their life, instead of turning a large portion over to the government in the form of a death tax.  Our founders understood that economic freedom is a fundamental moral issue before it is anything else.

Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute, makes the moral argument for economic freedom better than anyone I have ever heard speak on the subject.  For anyone who is interested in this view, I suggest his excellent Wall Street Journal article, “The Real Culture War is Over Capitalism,” from April 30, 2009: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124104689179070747.html

When the moral argument for free enterprise is made, we begin the cultural shift that is so needed in our country.

Thank you again to Dr. Morrisey and Mr. Stauffer for bringing up this important topic.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Good night and God Bless!

Cathy Gillespie

 

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