FREE TO CHOOSE
May 8, 2012: Professor Robert Freer, Visiting Professor of Ethics and Free Enterprise at The Citadel, was our speaker. In addition to years of private practice as an attorney he has served as a general council to government agencies, including the Department of Transportation and the transition team for the Reagan administration. He is a regular columnist to the Charleston Mercury, and currently heads the Free Enterprise Foundation of Charleston.
Although an active member of his political party, his message was not that of a partisan but of a concerned American. His first challenge to all is that YOU MUST VOTE! He spoke of the long term writings of Milton Friedman who worked for the FDR administration and spent 30 years as a faculty member of the University of Chicago. Friedman’s primary conclusion is that a strong nation must manage its debt and operate with a balanced budget. He cautions that when power is concentrated in one organization or theater, failure is lurking in the wings. He noted that so much depends upon the availability of oil that any break in the supply system, such as closing of the Suez Canal or the Strait of Hormuz, can shut the world down and there is nothing that we or any other nation can do about it.
Since the end of the Carter administration the national debt has climbed to nearly 85% of GNP. We are at great risk, with over 40% of our indebtedness being to China, though he does not foresee conflict between our two countries. So, what do we do?
We must regain fiscal responsibility; we must recognize that there is a lack of trust in government; we must recognize that there is a lack of trust in the future of America; and we must beware of accepting MYTHS as solutions:
We cannot grow out of debt with all the many unfunded mandates we have.
We cannot inflate ourselves out of debt.
We cannot tax ourselves enough to end the debt.
We cannot cut our way out of debt as many central services are vital.
The solutions are before us: Create forums for intelligent discussion! Balance the Books! We are free to make choices, but the number one choice is to actively work on solutions! Be ready to study the problems of the nation by establishing forums right at home, yes, in Charleston.
Thomas Jefferson told us to “pay our debts; do not leave them for the future”.
Submitted by Fred Sales, Keyway Committee