economy
Liberal policies don’t work even when rebranded as 'conservative'
This essay is part of The Right Way Forward, Restoring America’s new think tank debate series in which leading conservative institutions argue the defining questions of the post-Trump era. Read about the series here.
TL;DR
- Liberal economic policies include high taxes, high spending, high regulation, restrictive labor laws, government-sponsored enterprises, subsidies, price controls, and historically, higher tariffs.
- These policies often result in inflation due to money creation to fund government spending.
- The article argues that these policies have a long record of failure in the U.S. and abroad.
- Progressives and socialists advocate for more extreme versions of these policies.
- Empowering government officials through regulation does not improve people's lives.
- Societies adopting these policies tend to become impoverished rather than enriched.
- The U.S. economy is presented as freer, less regulated, and having smaller government compared to Europe, leading to better economic outcomes.
- Despite U.S. economic success, some conservatives are advocating for the adoption of European-style liberal economic policies.