Strictly Right

In the previous post on this site Andrew made the point that the Conservative Party of Canada’s new budget is anything but conservative. Now there are a plethora of reasons for the size and scope of the budget that could be debated from here to kingdom come, but the unavoidable fact is that Canada’s ‘conservative’ government has not been conservative. Under the Conservative Party of Canada there has not been a rollback of the welfare state. Canada still has state-run medical care and there is no discussion over abolishing or even really reforming the system coming from the Conservative Party, as health care is seen as a political third rail. The question that arises is “is it even possible for a government to be conservative in a welfare state?” In 1955 William F. Buckley Jr, said the goal of National Review, and the conservative movement he would lead was to “stand athwart history, yelling Stop…” What do we do if we don’t stop the left?

The left has followed Norman Thomas’ plan and implemented socialism incrementally. Once an entitlement is entrenched it is all but impossible to have it repealed. In a country like Canada even a nominally conservative government will not touch the enormous welfare state. Rather, the political debate rages over who can most effectively manage the welfare state. This is not so much an indictment of the Conservative Party as it is a realistic view of  government. Most people do not have the courage to dismantle an unsustainable welfare state because they fear the political backlash. Instead, governments pile on debts, put on band aides and kick the can down the road. This can work as a quick fix, but eventually countries have to face a day of reckoning. In order to make this eventuality less painful it would behoove  conservative governments to start scaling back the government while it is still our choice. The question is, is there the political will to rollback the state? In the United States, if Obamacare passes and Democrats lose in 2010 and 2012 will the GOP have the intestinal fortitude to scrap Obamacare? Will Social Security be reformed to make it solvent? Will the precious entitlements in the budget actually be cut? One can only hope that it is still possible not just to run on a conservative platform, but to actually implement conservative solutions once in power.

Tags: Conservatism, Conservative Party of Canada, Democratic Party, Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Liberalism, Obamacare, Republican Party, Welfare State