The Ideals of Jefferson & Jackson

This blog is inspired by the ideals of Presidents Jefferson and Jackson. Two populist leaders that advocated for limited government because they recognized that as government becomes more powerful, the wealthy and connected special interests benefit at the expense of the people. Special interests are able to manipulate the levers of government to their own advantage in ways that regular Americans can’t, using their lobbyists to impose regulatory burdens on their competition, or to carve out tax loopholes that apply only to them. As the government grows, it doesn’t merely threaten abstract principles of liberty; It increases income inequality and reduces economic mobility for anyone who doesn’t have a lobbyist in Sacramento or Washington D.C.

How come our grandparents were able to achieve middle class status on a single blue collar income, while today average Americans need to work harder, have two incomes, and put off having families just to get by? It is because we are running against a headwind of taxes and regulations that hit regular Americans the hardest. Both Republicans and Democrats are guilty of enacting policies that benefit their preferred interest groups at the expense of regular people. So how come we keep electing these politicians if their policies are hurting so many? Politicians win elections by giving concentrated benefits to special interests, while spreading the costs out to average people. Then they champion these achievements, while the costs go largely unnoticed amid the complexity of the legislative process. Politicians and special interests thrive amid complexity and ambiguity, where they can shift blame and avoid accountability. In the tradition of Jefferson and Jackson, this blog will shine light on the consequences of the political process by making politics simple.