Joel Fox here reflects on the inconsistency that the people seem to oppose “higher taxes” but favor many well funded government services. His conclusion is that there has been a breakdown of trust in our leadership, not any move towards “smaller government” in theory. I think that if the distrust has now gone beyond our elected officials and is beginning to extend to our unelected ones, it is a good thing. There has been too much deference to unelected officials. If the public is willing to challenge the public sector unions seriously, I think we have a chance. The PAN Norte recognizes that the passive-aggressive game of “no tax shall ever be raised” or “starve the beast” is, by itself, unproductive and dysfunctional. The unions and the middle class entitlement advocates will continue to get what they want, whereas infrastructure and investment in capital improvements for roads, schools, etc., and for the maintenance of existing improvements will suffer. The PAN Norte, instead of taking the “starve the beast” approach, will rally people to attack the public sector unions directly – making a major effort not to alienate the private sector unions in the process. (I think that some of the powers of private sector unions are problematic – the son of a friend just had a third of his paycheck taken by them – but they are not the enemy, and they do not have anything like the power of public sector unions in our society.) PAN Norte’s parent party in Mexico has had to take on the drug traffickers. This is a shooting war, and it may lose. Similarly, PAN Norte will take on the public sector unions. It may fail, but not to try, not to fight, would be ignoble.

Related: “Poll Voters: Big Hearts; Small Wallets” by Joel Fox at Fox and Hounds Daily