The Observer, October 14, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 7
The Right Stuff: Democratic leadership fails to stack up to conservative ideas
For the past two weeks I've used my op-eds to expose Republican leadership as moderate liberals and propose ideas for real conservative legislation. The case for conservatism should sell itself, because evidence and insight prove that it works. Still, there are many liberals and Republicans who resist new ideas. There may be some psychological factors governing resistance to change, so in order to further the case for a real conservative agenda, let's look at the successes of the liberal agenda.
Starting again in our own backyard of Cleveland, we see the ineptitude of liberal government at its best. I've spent a lot of time talking about Cleveland Municipal Schools, their inefficiency, and the continued community condemnation they receive, so I won't rehash it anymore than I just have. Cleveland's biggest achievement in recent memory has been dredging itself up from the bottom, going from the poorest big city in the nation to No. 12. A city that has been dominated by Democratic voters and public servants from top to bottom has fallen behind the growth curve of the rest of the state. Even Cincinnati's professional sports franchises are starting to look like the best in Ohio.
Louisiana is another instance of a state burdened by its Democratic leadership. The office of Governor has been held by Democrats consistently for more than 100 years, and has fallen to a 35th in per capita GDP, placing it behind states like Tennessee, North Carolina, and Connecticut in gross GDP. When a natural disaster threatened the state, the elected Democratic officials were asleep at the wheel. Compare the response of Louisiana officials with the response in Galveston, Texas, or in any part of Florida, and you see drastic differences in effective leadership.
Let's start with some successes of conservatism in action – in liberal states. One of the best examples is the leadership of New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Not only did he help orchestrate the turnaround of one of the American capitals of crime and filth, he stuck with the citizens of New York through the Sept. 11 attacks and oversaw relief efforts. Mayor Giuliani set an example that other mayors could have and should have learned from in the case of Mayor Ray Nagin. Another example followed the 1994 earthquake that rocked the Los Angeles area. Interstate 10, the major east-west artery for Los Angeles, was shut down due to bridge collapse. Rather than pawning the job off on the department of transportation in California, the job was offered up for bidding to private industry. The job, originally slated to take up to three years, was completed in 66 days.
For nearly the past five years, Democrats have run under the motto of what they are not: Republicans. The past general elections have shown just how effective this campaign strategy is. That being said, I do not set out to illustrate the failure of liberal leaders to the end of making them look bad, but rather to point out where conservative administrations can improve the lives of all Americans. As I've said before, putting power in the hands of private industry, even with government regulation of industry, is usually better than the alternative. Better business for the American people will always come from an efficient market, not one controlled by government.
