Progressivism

In this article, we review the philosophy of

Progressivism, in which TRUST IN THE

CONSTITUTION IS REPLACED by a

government that amasses power by

dividing Citizens into economic and ethnic

groups which can then be pitted against

one another so gov't Elitists can

implement their unconstitutional agenda.

Such a philosophy casts aside the millenia

of societal living based on Morality and

Religious precepts and replaces that

foundation with a SWAMP ( Syllabus

Without Any Moral Pedestal) . Early

society realized the need for a code of

conduct when Citizens outgrew the life of

the caveman and began to associate in

larger groups. The Ten Commandments of

the Bible brought forth a succinct code of

individual and societal morality that has

glowingly withstood the test of time .

THE SWAMP

MORALITY IN 10 SHORT PHRASES

Our Constitution OR The Progressive "Swamp" ?:

History is full of examples of big government failures. In fact, the most common result of "big government" interventions has been a failure to solve the targeted problem, plus adding new, unintended difficulties.

President Johnson's "Great Society" was supposed to end poverty and racial injustice, but he said “that is just the beginning.” It would “rebuild the entire urban United States” while fending off “boredom and restlessness,” aaddressing “the hunger for community” and enhancing “the meaning of our lives”. Instead the Great Society is considered to be the major cause of current low employment levels, continued racial disharmony with the resultant crime, illegitimacy, and uninspiring urban education. A synopsis of some data, adapted from Ref. 2 (G. WILL) is shown in the adjacent 3 charts to have yielded much failure.

Why has this materialized? A few answers relate to the fact that 100's of ants in a colony can collaborate on building a nest. But the nest is relatively simple and the "Leader"ants do not have to confront a thinking set of constituents. Big government must confront 300M+ Constituents and develop major complex undertakings that will accommodate quite different tastes and lifestyles. It usually leads to a "1 size fits all" solution. But Citizens often feel they can do much better on their own. And, in truth, most often they can. Thus Big government is structured on a foundation of sand (or perhaps: SWAMP?). We've looked here broadly at 3 general graphs of failed governance. In the next section, we look at 2 more specific examples and assess how things proceeded there. But judged just in light of LBJ's promises, clearly much confidence has been misplaced: in plans, in expertise, in Leadership and in achievement. CITIZENS, TAKE NOTE !!

Sec 1. AMERICA'S GOVERNANCE - - HAVE WE FORSAKEN MORALITY?:

EXAMPLE #A - BALTIMORE ON FIREHere’s what the mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, said: “I’ve made it very clear that I work with the police and instructed them to do everything that they could to make sure that the protesters were able to exercise their right to free speech. It’s a very delicate balancing act, because, while we tried to make sure that they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also gave those whowished to destroy space to do that as well. And we worked very hard to keep that balance and to put ourselves in the best position to de-escalate, and that’s what you saw.”

And here’s what the mayor of Baltimore meant to say, according to a release by her office: everything is the same except for a small change in the 2nd sentence. It’s a very delicate balancing act, because, while we tried to make sure that they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also [as a result] gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well.

So, Ms. Mayor, the morality of thugs destroying the property of other Citizens is OK? And it's OK, because setting one segment of the society against another is just fine, if it fits within an Elitist notion of "a good end . . justifies any means". This despite a Constitution which says Government's #1 duty is to protect innocent Citizens from harm to their persons or property? An American City? No! A Progressive SWAMP !

Sec 2. Two Examples of the Progressive SWAMP:

Baltimore On Fire !

Looters & Thugs Stealing the

Property of Law-abiding,

Hard-working Citizens

Some further thoughts on the Baltimore neighborhood set ablaze, accompanied by rioting and looting is this. It is a sad example of how the balance between Citizens Rights to speak and assemble is obliterated by mob rule proceeding - - in the absence of the government protecting the Citizens. It’s a sad example of how the idea of “rights endowed by our Creator” is over-ridden by a laughable governance philosophy which places governmental judgement above the Rule of Law, as embodied by America’s written Constitution.

As a result, the productive members of society, including legions of small business people, watch helplessly as violent mobs destroy neighborhoods and services that they have come to rely on in their daily lives. Destruction is not an asset to anyone. Destruction is a crippler of Rights, productive effort and even of humanity itself.

Other Leftists will often nominally support such a philosophy in the name of “Justice”. But such a rationale is a blemish on the concept of Justice. How can anyone hold as “Just” or civilized, an act of lawlessness, absent any moral value whatsoever. Innocent and hardworking Citizens are bled of money, sweat, tears - - and often, literally their own blood. Yet there are those of the SWAMP culture, who grieve for the felons, and support the criminal, over the local hardworking Citizen trying to live a moral life. Political Nonsense ! For shame !

Where's the immorality of the Baltimore Riots? For one answer, see the above asterisks:

For those who ask whether there was immorality in Freddie Gray losing his life - - it's a reasonable question. American justice would seem to require that the issue be formally assessed by an objective jury of peers.

Sec 2. Two Examples of the Progressive SWAMP - Example A. - Baltimore Riots :

EXAMPLE #2) - THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACTAn estimated 30 million Americans are expected to gain health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But the health care workforce is already inadequate relative to the demand and the “Big Government” is and will continue to add significantly to the mismatch.

The ACA escalates workforce shortage by adding further burdens and stress to our system. Current difficulties with the medical training pipeline will be additive to: the ACA’s estimated 190 million hours of paperwork annually imposed on businesses and the health care industry; wait times confronting patients ; shortened time with caregivers. Moreover, the workforce itself is facing increased stress and instability. The “Big Government” solution is in need of some major changes that will restore healthcare to a more traditional Doctor-Patient rlationship and rid the system of the burdensome added costs that Citizens are seeing and will continue to see. A few selected highlights from Ref 5 are given here and readers are referred to the original for a significantly deeper discussion.

Big Brother is helping you again:

• $2,000B (ie $2Trillion) in annual spending; but only $600B in annual taxes ..Huh?

• Overburdened Drs/Nurses = less access for patients . . Hmm!• Citizen Understanding of the complexity . . About the same as Citizen

understanding of Quantum MechanicsIts As Simple as A,B,C:

• A - America: 1st in costs - - but not Ahead in quality of care• B - Budget Busting - - an inept way to do things• C - Complexity personified - - Citizen oversight: Contentious

Sec 2. Two Examples of the Progressive SWAMP: - EXAMPLE B - THE ACA

As the population ages, the number of patients suffering chronic diseases will increase significantly, requiring additional labor hours to ensure quality of care. Furthermore, chronic disease is affecting more Americans, not just the elderly. By 2025, nearly half of all Americans will suffer a chronic disease, adding greater demand on the health care system. But, our aging population and workforce further complicate the ACA’s implementation. Of the estimated 2.8 million registered nurses (RNs) and the 985,375 Drs. currently working, 1/3 will likely retire in the next decade. The economic downturn of recent years has encouraged many professionals to stay in the workforce for financial reasons, but the additional stresses of the ACA will likely accelerate their exodus.

Without a strong workforce operating under better working conditions, the quality of patient care will not improve. Health professionals worry about the ACA’s impact on their finances, and many are considering alternative careers and opportunities. The ACA increases stress on individual workers, organizations, and systems. Part of the problem is the overwhelming complexity of implementing the massive law, requiring them to meet new legal requirements while fulfilling professional obligations and meeting professional expectations for high performance in patient care.

Sec 2. Two Examples of the Progressive SWAMP - Example B - THE ACA:

Many health care professionals are concerned with the profound moral and ethical issues that periodically arise in the health care field. They worry about their traditional ability to exercise their conscience under the ACA. ACA legislation creates a barrier to Medicare’s physician–patient relationship through the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) defining what treatments can or should be funded and insurance companies and government program officials determining what treatments are allowable. Health care workers are voicing growing concern over the implication of these barriers to ethical patient care and the ethical obligations defined by the medical professions.

“Health care policy is no longer abstract when it directly affects the personal lives and health of millions of Americans. Under the ACA, Congress has prescribed a detailed federal role over health care financing, which directly and immediately affects the delivery of health care and Citizen access. Thus far, the ACA has delivered higher health insurance premiums, higher deductibles, and less competitive health insurance markets. This does not bode well for care delivery, particularly if it means increased waits, rationing of care, limited (or no) access, and poor quality of care. Americans’ private lives and their health decisions should be spared the consequences of such incompetent intrusions.” (quote per Ref 4, Amy Anderson)

Sec 2. Two Examples of the Progressive SWAMP: - EXAMPLE B - THE ACA

Sec 3. COMPETITIVE THEORIES FOR AMERICAN GOVERNANCE

FOUNDERS, THE CONSTITUTION AND RULE OF LAW PROGRESSIVISM AND ELITISTS KNOW BEST

DOMINENT CITIZEN ROLE WITH LIMITED GOVERNMENT TIED STRONGLY TO MORAL VALUES

STRONG GOVERNMENT OVERSEEING ALL CITIZEN NEEDS AND WANTSIT's A SWAMP !

SYLLABUSWITHOUTANYMORAL PEDESTAL

The materials in the following charts #9 - #15 are adapted, and drawn significantly from, Ref. 5

A. THE REJECTION OF NATURE AND THE TURN TO HISTORY


FREEDOM + OBSERVE MORAL VALUESIT's A SWAMP !


Sec 3 - Sec 3 - COMPETITIVE THEORIES FOR AMERICAN GOVERNANCE

The Founders believed that all men are created

equal and that they have certain inalienable

rights. All People are also obliged to obey the

“natural law”, under which we have not only

rights but the obligation "to respect those rights

in others which we value in ourselves"

(Jefferson). The main rights were thought to be

life and liberty, including the liberty to organize

one's own church, to associate at work or at

home with whomever one pleases, and to use

one's talents to acquire and keep property. For

the Founders, then, there is a natural moral order

with rules developed by human reason that

promote human well being. These rules can and

should guide human life and politics.

The Progressives rejected these claims as naive

and unhistorical. In their view, human beings are

not born free and that freedom is "something to

be achieved." In this view, freedom is a product

of human making, a GIFT of the state. Man is a

product of his own history. He is a social

construct. Since the Progressives held that

nature gives man little or nothing and that

everything of value to human life is made by

man, they concluded that there are no

permanent standards of right or wrong, but that

these are evolved, by the most enlightened, to fit

the times.

Trust us - - the State will grant you Freedom

B. THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT


CITIZEN'S MINDS ARE REVERED; GOV'T PROTECTS AGAINST VIOLENCE

IT's A SWAMP !SYLLABUSWITHOUTANYMORAL PEDESTAL

Sec 3 - COMPETITIVE THEORIES FOR AMERICAN GOVERNANCE

For the Founders, thinking about government began with

the recognition that what man is given by nature (a

capacity for reason and the evolution of moral law) is

more valuable than anything government can give him.

But the Founders acknowledged that government is also

necessary for the security of liberty. As Madison wrote,

"If men were angels, no government would be

necessary." But In the Founders' view, nature does give

human beings their bodies and minds. These are the

basis of their talents, which they grow and cultivate. For

the Founders then, the individual's existence and

freedom are NOT a gift of gov't. Gov't is therefore always

in the service of the individual, not the other way around.

The purpose of gov't, then, is to secure the people's

natural rights. It does so by preserving their lives and

liberties against the violence of others. In the founding,

the liberty to be secured by government is not freedom

from necessity or poverty, it is freedom from the despotic

and predatory domination of some human beings over

others, whether from domestic or foreign tyranny.

The Progressives regarded the Founders'

scheme as defective because they failed to

recognize the crucial role of society. Thus

the Progressives disparaged the Founders'

insistence on limited government. The

Progressive goal of politics is a freedom

from the limits imposed by nature and

necessity. They rejected the Founders'

conception of Freedom as a prerequisite to

the individual pursuit of happiness. For the

Progressives, Freedom is redefined as the

fulfillment of human capacities, which then

becomes the primary task of the state.

Thus the State has the responsibility for

creating multiple institutions under which

individuals can effectively realize their

potentialities.

We'll create enough Departments to do it all.

C. REJECTION OF CONSENT TO A SOCIAL COMPACT (THE CONSTITUTION) AS THE BASIS OF SOCIETY


GOVERNMENT IS AUTHORIZED AS A COMPACT BETWEEN CITIZENS AND IS GRANTED ONLY LIMITED POWER FOR THE COMMON GOOD



In accordance with their conviction that

all human beings are, by nature free, the

Founders taught that political society is

formed by a voluntary association of

individuals. It is a social compact, by

which the whole people covenants with

each citizen, and each citizen with the

whole people, that all agree that they

shall be governed by certain laws for the

common good.

For Progressives, the origin of the State is

regarded, not as the result of a deliberate

agreement among men, but as the result of

historical development, instinctive rather

than conscious; and rights are considered

to have their source not in nature, but in

law. For the Progressives, then,

government serves its proper role by

remolding man in such a way as to bring out

his "true" capacities and aspirations.

Democracy and consent are not absolutely

rejected by the Progressives, but their

importance is greatly diminished.

"your dreams are too complex for the ordinary, common sense Citizen"

D. GOD AND RELIGION


MORALITY: AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF OUR CONSTITUTIONIT's A SWAMP !



In the founding, God was conceived in one of two

ways. Christians and Jews believed in the God of

the Bible as the author of liberty and also of the

moral law by which human beings are guided

toward duty and happiness. Nonbelievers (George

Washington called them "mere politicians" in his

Farewell Address) thought of God merely as a

creative principle or force behind the natural order

of things.

Both sides agreed that there is a God of nature who

endows men with natural rights and assigns them

duties under the law of nature. Believers added that

the God of nature is also the God of the Bible, while

secular thinkers denied that God was anything more

than the God of nature. Everyone saw Liberty as a

"sacred cause."

John Burgess, a prominent Progressive

political scientist, wrote that the purpose of

the State is the "perfection of humanity, the

civilization of the world; the perfect

development of the human reason and its

attainment to universal command over

individualism; the apotheosis (enoblement)

of man" .

We'll just get all 999,999 Gov't workers to sit down and agree on the plan.

E. LIMITS ON GOVERNMENT AND THE INTEGRITY OF THE PRIVATE SPHERE


DEFENDING CITIZENS' PRIVATE RIGHTS IS The FOCUS OF GOVERNMENT



For the Founders, the purpose of government is

to protect the private sphere, which they

regarded as the proper home of both the high

and the low, of the important and the merely

urgent, of God, religion, and science, as well as

providing for the needs of the body. The

experience of religious persecution had

convinced the Founders that government was

incompetent at directing man in his highest

endeavors. For the Founders, government was

seen as a merely human thing, bound up with all

the strengths and weaknesses of human nature.

Government had to be limited both because it

was dangerous if it got too powerful and because

it was not supposed to provide for the highest

things in life.

Because of the Progressives' tendency to view

the state as divine and the natural as less

important, they no longer looked upon the

private sphere as that which was to be protected

by government. Instead, the realm of the private

was seen as the realm of selfishness and

oppression. Private property was especially

singled out for criticism. Some Progressives

openly or covertly spoke of themselves as

socialists. Accordingly, Progressive political

scientist Theodore Woolsey wrote, "The sphere

of the State may reach as far as the nature and

needs of man and of man's reach, including

intellectual and aesthetic wants of the

individual, and the religious and moral nature of

its citizens.

We need to stifle all this entrepreneurship and innovation and just shepherd events to our goal.

F. Domestic Policy


FREEDOM OF OPPORTUNITY + NO TREADING ON ONE'S RIGHTS BY

OTHERS



For the Founders, domestic policy, as we have

seen, concentrated on securing the persons and

properties of the people against violence by

means of a tough criminal law against murder,

rape, robbery, and so on. Further, the civil law

had to provide for the poor to have access to

acquiring property by allowing the buying and

selling of labor and property through voluntary

contracts and a legal means of establishing

undisputed ownership. Such property access was

seen as the key to equal opportunity for all. The

burden of proof was thus on government if there

was to be any limitation on the free use of that

property. Thus, licensing and zoning were rare.

In Progressivism, the domestic policy of

government had two main concerns: (i) gov't

must protect the poor and other victims of

capitalism through redistribution of resources,

antitrust laws, gov't control over the details of

commerce and production: i.e., dictating at what

prices things must be sold, methods of

manufacture, gov't participation in the banking

system, and so on. (ii) gov't must become

involved in the "spiritual" development of its

citizens not, of course, through promotion of

religion, but through protecting the environment

("conservation"), education (understood as

education to personal creativity), and spiritual

uplift through subsidy and promotion of the arts

and culture.

Redistribution: it dampens ambition and rewards lethargy. What a brilliant formula for equality !

G. Who Should Rule, Experts or Representatives?


GOVERNMENTAL POWER MUST RISE UP FROM THE CITIZENRY



The Founders thought that laws should

be made by a body of elected officials

with roots in local communities. They

should not be "experts," but they

should have "most wisdom to discern,

and most virtue to pursue, the

common good of the society" (James

Madison).

The Progressives wanted to sweep away what they

regarded as this amateurism in politics. They had

confidence that modern science had superseded the

perspective of the liberally educated statesman. Only those

educated in the top universities, preferably in the social

sciences, were thought to be capable of governing. Politics

was regarded as too complex for common sense to cope

with. Gov't must take on the vast responsibility not merely

of protecting the people against injuries, but of managing

the entire economy as well as providing for the people's

spiritual wellbeing. They advocated that government

agencies, staffed by experts informed by the most

advanced modern science, must manage the tasks

previously handled within the private sphere.

"Your dreams are too complex for the common sense Citizen"

i. All men are created equal with certain inalienable rights.ii. There is a natural, moral and immutable order that successful

societies must agree to and follow. iii. Citizens endow the Gov't with some limited powers to evolve

societal rules - - but some Rights are innately retained by the citizens and not subject to Gov't change without a Constitutional Amendment, driven by vote of an informed Citizenry.

iv. Government size and transparency are mandatory for Citizens to both understand laws that are passed and monitor Government actions of enforcement. This is in addition to retaining and selecting Representatives in periodic elections

i. Rights must be developed and evolved by the Governmentii. All societal standards must be evolved by the Government to

adapt to changing times.iii. The government evolves and adapts citizen rights to suit its

own informed view of current affairs and discharges this duty as it deems to serve the citizens best.

iv. Government, in the hands of elected (and its own appointed) officials, is charged to use its wisdom and expertise to set good ends and assemble and apply the means and resources to achieve them.

Governmental power must be evolved by the most capable

people, who will set and enforce the rules for the Nation.

THE KEY PROCESSES AND PRINCIPLES

REFERENCES

"BIG GOVT DOESN’T WORK", Steve Curtis, January 20, 2013, http://mic.com/articles/23613/big-government-never-works-take-this-tour-of-history-to-find-out-why

"The Slow Decline of America Since LBJLaunched the Great Society", George F. Will, May 16, 2014

"Stealing Pringles in the Name of Justice", Jim Geraghty, April 30, 2015 , National Review Online

"Obamacare: $2 Trillion in spending, $643B in taxes, insurance for $50k ahead", John Hayward, Jan 27, 2015, www.breitbart.com

"The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on the Health Care Workforce", Amy Anderson, March 18, 2014, Heritage Foundation, Backgrounder #2887 on Health Care

"The Progressive Movement and the Transformation of AmericanPolitics", Thomas G. West and William A. Schambra, July 18, 2007, Heritage Foundation,First Principles Series Report #12 on Political Thought

I'm very happy to cite the following references which helped provide much of the historical information developed in this article.

THE END

ACTUALLY, IT’S NOT THE END - - YOUR VOICE IS

IMPORTANT TO OUR NATION. CITIZEN INTEREST,

DIALOG AND DATA ARE CRITICAL TO GOOD CIVIC

OUTCOMES. AND THAT INCLUDES OUTCOMES WHICH

SIMPLY ASSURE PROPER CONDITIONS FOR THE FREE

MARKET TO WORK.

Progressivism

News & Politics

Transcript of Progressivism