Ideas VS Identity Politics

Here’s an idea; how about we create a system that allows for nearly full employment at livable wages? Good idea? If this idea came true would it be good for only Republicans or Democrats? Would political party matter if the idea worked and put Americans back to work?

Here’s an idea; how about we create a system that gives women first priority on all jobs in the marketplace. Until we know there are no women that want the job we can then open it up to men. Would political party matter? Most likely yes because this is not an idea that would be created to benefit the masses, it is more likely a policy to reward a specific group. This particular group being women and the two parties thrive on implementing policies that increase their power amongst the citizenry.

I could continue with the examples but when it comes to government policies, they are often designed by politicians to support constituents. It is called identity politics. Republicans play identity politics with religious right to life groups promising they will use the hammer of the federal government to impose rules on family matters like pregnancy and abortion. Democrats play identity politics with the gay community by promising to support gay marriage and adoption by using the hammer of the federal government to force people to accept these positions.

Using the hammer of the federal government is used by both of the political parties. It is simply that the democrats have more groups they represent than the republicans do. Identity politics is nowhere to be found in the US Constitution. The constitution was written to limit the power of the federal government and was originally focused on the things that were of common interest to the states. The national defense, foreign treaties, and a place states could resolve their disputes between each other.

But today the federal government has devolved into a hammer between the states and citizens and is destroying the common fabric of our nation. It must end before it destroys us. It will take a new way of thinking but is a message that all thinking individuals could rally around.

We must start electing governors that are willing to nullify federal law and embrace the ninth and tenth amendments to the constitution. The talk about the Republican Party having to moderate is not the answer. What Republicans must do is to give up the hammers it uses to get their ideas codified at the federal level. Abortion, gay marriage, prayer in school, school vouchers, etc… must be looked at in a new way.

Most of the most controversial issues are codified in the tax code and by Supreme Court decisions. Do we believe that a Marriage Amendment at the federal level will make people respect marriage more? Marriage is good for our society for the creation and raising of children, but should the federal government be used as a hammer to enforce it? Of course not, marriage is mostly a religious sacrament and we should allow churches to manage it the way they believe is in their best interest. If a church wants to support gay marriage let them. Go to another church. If you believe abortion is the taking of a life make your arguments to convince people of your view. By using the hammer of the federal government to infringe on people’s private, difficult, and personal matters you lose any credibility of truly wanting to reduce the federal government. Wanting to regulate life upon conception can’t be managed without infringing on other people’s rights and the federal government is not an entity we should want so involved in our personal lives. Conservatives must be consistent or they lose.

If we really want to reduce the federal government, we must argue against every area that the federal government should not be. Freedom has costs. If you are a Christian you believe we will all be judged. We should live by example and resist the hammer of the federal government to get our messages and policy implemented.

We can become a much greater nation when we focus on our own lives and limit the hammer of the federal government to implement policies. When we commit to limit the federal government to its original intent we have to put down our hammers as well. You can be opposed to policy but we must accept what it means to be a free society. We also can fight battles in the states where we have more impact and if we choose, we can live in any state that most closely reflects our values. We first need to reduce the influence of the federal government.

The way we do that is to argue and fight for a constitutional republic by using the tenth amendment and putting all of our hammers aside.