Tuesday, December 10, 2002 :::
A British conservative writes for the Wall Street Journal an essay about conservatism that at least has soundbites worth biting:American conservatism is an answer to that question. "We the people," it says, constitute a nation, settled in a common territory under a common rule of law, bound by a single Constitution and a common language and culture. Our primary loyalty is to this nation, and to the secular and territorially based jurisdiction that makes it possible for our nation to endure. Our national loyalty is inclusive, and can be extended to newcomers, but only if they assume the duties and responsibilities, as well as the rights, of citizenship.
If conservatives favor the free market, it is not because market solutions are the most efficient ways of distributing resources--although they are--but because they compel people to bear the costs of their own actions, and to become responsible citizens. I'm not sure I entirely agree with the thrust of what he's written, but I'm pretty sure I find it interesting at the least.
::: posted by dWj at 1:04 PM
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