Federalism is one of the few political mechanisms that benefit everyone. All sides of the political divide should be wary of allowing it to become a casualty in the ever-escalating culture war.
This post is a brief summary accompanied by a link to an article written by Justin Stapley for the Federalist Coalition, a 501(c)(4) non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to promote and educate Americans on the principles of federalism.
For those who know anything about me, it should be no secret that I don’t view myself as a “culture warrior.” I am far more concerned with creating spheres of liberty in which men and women can live life as they see fit and in maintaining the efficacy of America’s system of limited government than I am with whether my idea of the good life wins out over others’.
Because of this viewpoint, when I write about the culture war, as I did in the article linked to below, it tends to be as a warning of the ongoing damage this social conflict has had on the fabric of our republic.
More and more, the instinct of Americans in the face of crisis and tragedy isn’t to turn to each other and find ways to better ourselves through discussion and outreach. Instead, we too often turn towards the government in the vain hope we can somehow mandate behavior and attitudes to be in harmony with our own.
As we should have learned by now, both through recent experience and through the evidence of history, coercion only breeds resentment, damaging the core principles of limited government while often only accomplishing a renewal of bitter conflict.
Read the full article:
Do you have a response to Justin’s article? Would you like to offer your own take on this topic? Feel free to submit your own article or offer a comment below.