Posted by
Patrick Samuels on Monday, May 18, 2009 11:13:14 AM
The imminent departure of Justice Souter has brought all the old issues to the forefront as the sides gear up for the battle over the next judicial appointment. The issues of the “culture war”, as most people understand it, will fill the pages of what newspapers are left, and become endless fodder for the talking heads on television. They will discuss abortion, gay rights and marriage, school prayer, civil rights and a whole host of other issues. For now, however, we are going to forget the fact that giving so much power to these nine people, and the judiciary in general, was not the intention of the founders of this country. What I am going to propose to the reader is the idea that the culture war cannot be won without reestablishing the individual freedom that is part and parcel of free market capitalism. The free market economic system, by its very nature, encourages the development of values that make societies vibrant, healthy and successful. It is cause and effect. In a free society where individuals are empowered and there is little government interference or control, people are responsible and innovative and local communities are strong. They have to be because there is no outside entity to rely on. In societies where power and wealth is concentrated at the top and the people are powerless, there is no incentive for people to be responsible or industrious because there is no reward or upward mobility. Those at the top are manipulative and corrupt politicians who care only about the maintenance of their power. This creates a stagnant society that produces nothing of value and soon enters the dustbin of history.
I will offer a few cases to illustrate my point. In the ancient world, the democracies of Greece and the republic of Rome created societies that grew into empires. The empires and the dictatorships they degenerated into were their downfall but in their heyday the free citizens of these nations achieved great things. The outnumbered Greeks defeated the Persians again and again. The Roman republic rose from a small city state to an empire that surrounded the Mediterranean and beyond. A more recent example, other than our own in America, was the rise of the British empire. Although smaller in land area and more recent in organization than many of the nations of the continent, Britain limited its monarchy, empowered its citizens and rose to become a world power. In opposition to nations like Spain, who achieved ....
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