WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM SILENT CAL
(This article summarizes Lawrence W. Reed’s #lawrencewread fine piece from the Epoch Times entitled “What Calvin Coolidge’s 1925 Inauguration Can Teach Us Today.” It was too good not to share.)
Calvin Coolidge articulated his limited government philosophy in his second inauguration in 1925. He wanted to be known more for what he stopped or stymied than for what he supported, a modern and much-needed desire, echoing what we are seeing today. He was also aware that the money the government had was wrested from taxpayers; it wasn’t his. Every cent deserved respect as it was spent.
Here are some of the principles he stated in his address, a reminder of what good policy looks like. See if it doesn’t remind you of what is happening now, despite the furor against DOGE.
1. Reduce Government Waste to Benefit the People – Coolidge said, “I favor the policies of the economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will be so much more meager. Every dollar that we prudently save means that their life will be so much more abundant. Economy is idealism in the most practical form.”
2. Keep Taxes Low by Controlling Government Spending – Coolidge said, “The wisest and soundest method of solving our tax problem is through economy… The collection of any taxes which are not absolutely required, which do not beyond a reasonable doubt contribute to the public welfare, is only a species of legalized larceny. Under this republic, the rewards of industry belong to those who earn them. The only constitutional tax is the tax which ministers to public necessity. The property of the country belongs to the people of the country. Their title is absolute. They do not support any privileged class; they do not need to maintain great military forces; they ought not to be burdened with a great array of public employees.”
3. High Taxes Hurt Economic Growth – Coolidge said, “The method of raising revenue ought not to impede the transaction of business; it out to encourage it. I am opposed to extremely high rates, because they produce little or no revenue, because they are bad for the country, and finally, because they are wrong.”
4. Avoid Envy and Redistribution – Coolidge said, “We cannot finance the country, we cannot improve social conditions through any system of injustice, even if we attempt to inflict it on the rich. Those who suffer the most harm will be the poor. This country believes in prosperity. It is absurd to suppose that it is envious of those who are already prosperous. The wise and correct counsel to follow in taxation and all other economic legislation is not to destroy those who have already secured success, but to create conditions under which everyone will have a better chance to be successful.”
5. Property Rights Are Essential for Liberty – Coolidge declared, “We need not concern ourselves much about the rights of property if we will faithfully observe the rights of persons. Under our institutions, their rights are supreme. It is not property but the right to hold property, both great and small, which our Constitution guarantees… For individuals or for governments to waste and squander their resources is to deny those rights and disregard those obligations.”
Do you see any problem with these principles?
Haven’t learned anything in 100 years…And I guess we never will. Today, even “we the people” don’t seem to understand these principles and in fact, as we’ve recently seen, there’s a significant contingency of people who encourage government waste and spending. How can anyone of any level of sensibility be critical of DOGE? It’s disheartening.