Now that the State of the State and the State of the Judiciary, two of the three Constitutional mandates, are behind us, it is time for the members of your General Assembly to get down to the real work of putting together a balanced Budget without a tax increase, staying within the bounds of the new federal and state tax cuts, and considering other legislative proposals before us this legislative session.
It is also a time for every legislator to reflect on the long-term direction that will be set for our state as we consider the spending requests for the coming fiscal year. Understanding where we are and how we got there is critical for our state during this session.
Some time ago, I was directed to read an article by Amity Shlaes based on her book entitled, “The Legacy of the 1936 Election” (imprimis.hillsdale.edu). Ms. Shlaes, a graduate of Yale University, is a senior fellow in economic history at the Council on Foreign Relations, winner of the Frederic Bastiat Prize for free market journalism, as well as served on the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, and is the author of two national bestsellers, including the bestselling history "The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression."
According to Ms. Shlaes, the presidential campaign of 1936 “…marked the end of old-fashioned American federalism and the rise of a new kind of politics, It was 1936 more than any other campaign that created modern interest groups and taught us that Washington should subsidize them.” Special interest groups are often seen as the enemy of the common man and are blamed for much of what is flawed in our political process. But where did they come from, how did they develop into such political powerhouses and what can we do about it?
To reverse a trend it is important to understand its origin. History can identify the thinking that began the trend and help analyze both the direction and destination. The 1936 election was won by promising to "help the forgotten man." The slogan required a redefinition of "forgotten man" and changed the future direction of America. It can even be claimed that “the forgotten man” was the one most harmed by the policies that followed the 1936 election.
According to Ms. Shlaes, the phrase came from a book written by Yale Professor William Graham Sumner decades before the 1936 election. Here is what he wrote: “A and B want to help X. This is the charitable impulse. The problem arises when A and B band together and pass a law that coerces C into funding their project for X.” According to Sumner, C is “the forgotten man.” “He is the man who works, the man who prays, the man who pays his own bills, the man who is 'never thought of.'” But he is the one who is taxed the hardest to pay for the spending of A and B.
Once “the forgotten man” was uncoupled from its origin, it became the vehicle to push public sympathy and government favors to any conceivable constituency group. The “Special Interest Group” was born. Now, instead of debating ideas in the public square, the debate moved to whose ox would be gored for whom. Thus, government began the task of favoring one group after another; the natural partner of these favored groups, dependency, soon followed.
Hopefully, as we move forward in this legislative session in Missouri, the real “forgotten man and woman” will be remembered by your legislature. We must remember to protect his and her right to work and raise a family, live a free life with little government breathing down their neck and allow them to keep more of what they have earned. Most folks just want to provide their own way and government at all levels should allow you the opportunity to continue doing just that.
Furthermore, Ms. Shlaes concluded her analysis with an addition, "Action is more important today because of our fiscal challenge—the new forgotten men are the grandchildren who will pay if we do not give up some of that costly nostalgia."
With a bevy of politicians that ran on "changing politics as usual", unchecked bureaucrats, a parade of lobbyists and increasing numbers of other people interested in government money and programs, I only hope that we remember “the forgotten men and women” that pay the bills. I must reiterate the charge of my predecessor, "Always protect the rights and the dollar of your taxpaying employers."
"The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer."--Donald Trump
