By Brandon Crocker
Almost all rules have exceptions. This is true because the real world is a complex place, more complex than theory often allows. And this is why, to quote Emerson, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." Campaigning in Michigan, Rick Santorum has sought to bolster his conservative bona fides, declaring his own ideological consistency in opposing government "bailout" plans for both the automakers and of "Wall Street," and contrasting that to the "inconsistency" of his rival, Mitt Romney, who opposed the auto "bailout" but supported the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), portrayed by Santorum as a bailout for Wall Street and the big banks. In failing to understand the difference between TARP and the auto bailout, Senator Santorum betrays a foolish consistency.
All American conservatives, myself included, disdain government meddling in the private sector. From a practical perspective, it is usually counterproductive and wasteful (Solyndra, for example). From an ideological perspective, it is rarely justified as a necessary and legitimate application of government power, and is almost always a dangerous precedent, inviting ever more and greater infringements on personal liberty and the workings of a free market. But this does not mean that government intervention is never, ever an appropriate option.
Read more: http://spectator.org/archives/2012/02/27/in-defense-of-bailout-inconsis
Almost all rules have exceptions. This is true because the real world is a complex place, more complex than theory often allows. And this is why, to quote Emerson, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." Campaigning in Michigan, Rick Santorum has sought to bolster his conservative bona fides, declaring his own ideological consistency in opposing government "bailout" plans for both the automakers and of "Wall Street," and contrasting that to the "inconsistency" of his rival, Mitt Romney, who opposed the auto "bailout" but supported the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), portrayed by Santorum as a bailout for Wall Street and the big banks. In failing to understand the difference between TARP and the auto bailout, Senator Santorum betrays a foolish consistency.
All American conservatives, myself included, disdain government meddling in the private sector. From a practical perspective, it is usually counterproductive and wasteful (Solyndra, for example). From an ideological perspective, it is rarely justified as a necessary and legitimate application of government power, and is almost always a dangerous precedent, inviting ever more and greater infringements on personal liberty and the workings of a free market. But this does not mean that government intervention is never, ever an appropriate option.
Read more: http://spectator.org/archives/2012/02/27/in-defense-of-bailout-inconsis
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