Options
Print
15 Comments
Post a Comment
Email
Revolt of the Accountants
· Saturday, October 9, 2010
If you write a column, you get a lot of email. Sometimes, especially in a political season, it's possible to discern from it certain emerging themes—the comeback of old convictions, for instance, or the rise of new concerns. Let me tell you something I'm hearing, in different ways and different words. The coming rebellion in the voting booth is not only about the economic impact of spending, debt and deficits on America's future. It's also to some degree about the feared impact of all those things on the character of the American people. There is a real fear that government, with all its layers, its growth, its size, its imperviousness, is changing, or has changed, who we are. And that if we lose who we are, as Americans, we lose everything.
This is part of what's driving the sense of political urgency this year, especially within precincts of the tea party.
The most vivid illustration of the fear comes, actually, from another country, Greece, and is brilliantly limned by Michael Lewis in September's Vanity Fair. In "Beware Greeks Bearing Bonds," he outlines Greece's economic catastrophe. It is a bankrupt nation, its debt, or rather the amount of debt that has so far been unearthed and revealed, coming to "more than a quarter-million dollars for every working Greek." Over decades the Greeks turned their government "into a piñata stuffed with fantastic sums" and gave "as many citizens as possible a whack at it." The average government job pays almost three times as much as the average private-sector job. The retirement age for "arduous" jobs, including hairdressers, radio announcers and musicians, is 55 for men and 50 for women. After that, a generous pension. The tax system has disintegrated. It is a welfare state with a cash economy.
Much of this is well known, though it is beautifully stated. But all of it, Mr. Lewis asserts, has badly damaged the Greek character. "It is simply assumed . . . that anyone who is working for the government is meant to be bribed. . . . Government officials are assumed to steal." Tax fraud is rampant. Everyone cheats. "It's become a cultural trait," a tax collector tells him.
Mr. Lewis: "The Greek state was not just corrupt but also corrupting. Once you saw how it worked you could understand a phenomenon which otherwise made no sense at all: the difficulty Greek people have saying a kind word about one another. . . . Everyone is pretty sure everyone is cheating on his taxes, or bribing politicians, or taking bribes, or lying about the value of his real estate. And this total absence of faith in one another is self-reinforcing. The epidemic of lying and cheating and stealing makes any sort of civic life impossible."
Thus can great nations, great cultures, disintegrate, break into little pieces that no longer cohere into a whole.
And what I get from my mail is a kind of soft echo of this. America is not Greece and knows it's not Greece, but there is a growing sense—I should say fear—that the weighty, mighty, imposing American government itself, whether it meant to or not, has for years been contributing to American behaviors that are neither culturally helpful nor, as we now all say, sustainable: a growing sense of entitlement, of dependency, of resentment and distrust, and an increasing suspicion that everyone else is gaming the system. "I got mine, you get yours."
People, as we know, are imperfect. Governments, composed top to bottom of imperfect people wielding power, are very imperfect. There are of course a million examples, big and small, of how governments can damage the actual nature and character of the citizenry, and only because there was just a commercial on TV telling me to gamble will I mention the famous case of the state lotteries. Give government the right to reap revenues from the public desire to gamble, and you'll soon have government doing something your humble local bookie never had the temerity to try: convince the people that gambling is a moral good. They promote it insistently on local television, undermining any remaining reserve among our citizens not to play the numbers, not to develop what can become an addiction. Our state government daily promotes what for 2,000 years was understood to be a vice. No bookie ever committed a crime that big.
Government not only can change the national character, it can bizarrely channel national energy. And this is another theme in my mailbox, the rebellion against what government increasingly forces us to become: a nation of accountants.
No matter what level of life in which you operate, you are likely overwhelmed by forms, by a blizzard of regulations, rules, new laws. This is not new, it's just always getting worse. Priests are forced to be accountants now, and army officers, and dentists. The single most onerous part of ObamaCare is the tax change whereby spending $600 on goods or services will require a 1099 form. Economists will tell you of the financial cost of this, but I would argue that Paperwork Nation is utterly at odds with the American character.
Because Americans weren't born to be accountants. It's not our DNA! We're supposed to be building the Empire State Building. We were meant, to be romantic about it, and why not, to be a pioneer people, to push on, invent electricity, shoot the bear, bootleg the beer, write the novel, create, reform and modernize great industries. We weren't meant to be neat and tidy record keepers. We weren't meant to wear green eyeshades. We looked better in a coonskin cap!
There is I think a powerful rebellion against all this. It isn't a new rebellion—it was part of Goldwaterism, and Reaganism—but it's rising again.
For those who wonder why so many people have come to hate, or let me change it to profoundly dislike, "the elites," especially the political elite, here is one reason: It is because they have armies of accountants to do this work for them. Those in power institute the regulations and rules and then hire people to protect them from the burdens and demands of their legislation. There is no congressman passing tax law who doesn't have staffers in his office taking care of his own financial life and who will not, when he moves down the street into the lobbying firm, have an army of accountants to protect him there.
Washington is now to some degree the focus of the same sort of profound resentment that Hollywood liberals inspired when they really mattered, or seemed really powerful. For decades they made films that were not helpful to our culture or society, that were full of violence and sick imagery. But they often brought their own children up more or less protected from the effects of the culture they created. Private schools, nannies, therapists, tutors. They bought their way out of the cultural mayhem to which they'd contributed. Their children were fine. Yours were on their own.
This is part of why people dislike "the elites" and why "the elites," especially in Washington, must in turn be responsive, come awake, start to notice. People don't like it when they fear you are subtly, day by day, year by year, changing the personality and character of their nation. They think, "You are ruining our country and insulating yourselves from the ruin. We hate you." And this is understandable, yes?
Third-party content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Patriot Post.
Options
Navigation
Subscribe
Former Senator Fred Thompson: "Thanks to The Patriot for your considerable efforts to hold back the 'Clintonistas' while I was in the Senate. The Patriot's message provides a critical touchstone for those inside the Beltway who have forgotten who they serve." It's Right. It's Free. Subscribe now!
The Right Opinion
Rich Galen: Obama & Romney Tout Good News
Edwin J. Feulner: 'Law of the Sea' Treaty: Sink It
Arnold Ahlert: With Democrats, You're Either All In - or All Out
Oliver North: Memorial Day 2012
Ken Blackwell: Remarks on Religious Liberty
L. Brent Bozell: Canada's 'Scientific' Museum of Smut
Michelle Malkin: Obama's Land of the LOST
Rebecca Hagelin: The 'Gay Marriage' Spin
David Limbaugh: Obama and Leahy vs. Sir William Blackstone
Linda Chavez: Overreach by Unions in Wisconsin
Mona Charen: Obama's Education Hypocrisy -- Again
Jonah Goldberg: Big Business Gets the Hollywood Treatment
Navigation
Grassroots Commentary
Policy and Analysis
- Heritage Foundation Insider
- Heritage Foundation Research
- American Enterprise Institute
- Center for Strategic and International Studies
- The Cato Institute
- Hoover Institution
- National Rifle Association
- Ludwig von Mises Institute
- Citizens Against Government Waste
- National Center for Policy Analysis
- The Heartland Institute
Our Mission
"The Patriot's mission is to advocate for Essential Liberty, the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and to promote free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. Our objective is to provide Patriots across our nation with a touchstone of First Principles through brief, informative and entertaining analyses of relevant news, policy and opinion from reputable research, advocacy and media organizations, so they may better support and defend those Principles, and enlist others to join our ranks." —Mark Alexander, Publisher
The Patriot Post is not sustained by any political, special interest or parent organization, and we accept no advertising. Our mission and operations are funded entirely by the voluntary financial support of Patriots like you!
Michael Gordon
It is good to see that Peggy Noonan is starting to get a better sense of the problems with the statists in power. We do not want them in charge of our lives. We do not want to comply with a billion new paperwork requirements.
Posted October 9, 2010 at 12:21:46 AM
pat williams
Great insight by Peggy Noonan. It conveys exactly what I was thinking.
Posted October 9, 2010 at 9:47:28 AM
Alan Robinson
Peggy hits it square with this column. I'm a law-abiding, practicing Christian, but I have ZERO problem avoiding, delaying and minimally adhering to current tax law when I see that our 'stimulus' includes things like $800,000+ for African post-coital genital washing "studies", etc. The story can be found at CNS News if you're interested. It's disgusting and I simply can't abide such waste.
Additionally, we hate the elites because they exemplify precisely why America exists: to shed ourselves of those who "know better" than the common man. Can Obamacare be described as anything less than "do as you're told"?
Posted October 9, 2010 at 1:13:08 PM
J Henry Jr
We become a country of criminals when there are so many laws that it is virtually impossible to not be a lawbreaker. I despise government at all levels for what it has done to us as a people. It has almost become a patriotic duty not to comply with ridiculous laws.
Posted October 10, 2010 at 3:02:01 PM
BoFromTexas
Amen, amen, amen. Peggy, you have stated the absolute truth, which needed to be said. I thought I was out of the mainstream when I protested against a state lottery. To me, privately run lotteries, including raffles, had always been illegal. Why does the morality change simply because the state opts to engage in what had formerly been criminal activity?The Florida lottery was supposed to reduce school taxes substantially. Did that ever happen? Ask the property owners there. Our nation has been sliding into the cesspool of immorality and criminality for many years, beginning with the Great Society when it became acceptable to sit on your duff and collect a government welfare check. Up until the reign and rule of JFL and LBJ, it had been dishonorable for black men and fathers to not be gainfully employed. As the Democrats bought votes with welfare, we have produced now about three generation of black males who think it is perfectly acceptable to live on the dole. Then crime increases for some spending money, then illegitimacy and fatherless children, etc., ad nauseum. The Greeks are in a heck of a mess, now competing with Mexico for corruption. We in the U.S. are headed that way on a fast train. November 3 had better arrive with a freightload of elected moral, righteous conservatives who will stand for right, and get this country turned around, or we will have an armed revolution by those who will not stand by and watch America crash in flames.
Posted October 10, 2010 at 9:44:49 PM
JimmyD
Peggy Noonan has always been a good writer. I used to consider her convervative enough to read but RINO enough to periodically give me apoplexy.
I think she's improving.
I think she is sincere in her growing perception of this new thing that's happening here.
There ARE RINOs who want to sidle up, stick out a pinky and share a cup of tea, whose ultimate aim is co-option in the long game of power politics.
But there are also some who've been very much in the heart of Big Gov Republican Politics, who are waking up and remembering the heart and essense of Patriotic Constitutional Conservatism.
Peggy's getting it.
This IS understandable. Yes indeed!
Posted October 11, 2010 at 12:35:07 AM
Portland Conservative
Noonan captured the root of resentment that many of us feel toward government that is unaccountable and self-perpetuating. I appreciate her identification of intrinsic values of the American soul (through examples)...creativity, self-reliance...I would add generosity. Great article!
Posted October 11, 2010 at 1:01:09 PM
TJS
I guess Peggy won't be supporting Obama in 2012.
Posted October 11, 2010 at 3:34:57 PM
karl anglin
And it is, after all, the government
that made this bed:having rushed to
indict on an extraordinary expedited
schedule, the Justice Department is
in no position to complain if
temporary restrictions on the grand jury
are necessary to prevent the government
from obtaining an unfair and improper
advantage trial.----Arthur Andersen
(1885-1947)
Posted October 11, 2010 at 6:29:52 PM
pete
The day the democrats took over was not January 22nd 2009 it was January 3rd 2007.
The day the Democrats took over the House of Representatives and the Senate was the start of the 110th Congress.
The Democrat Party controlled a majority in both chambers for the first time since the end of the 103rd Congress in 1995.
For those who are listening to the liberals propagating the fallacy that everything is "Bush's Fault", think about this:
January 3rd, 2007 was the day the Democrats took over the Senate and the Congress. On that day:
1. The DOW Jones closed at 12,621.7
2. The GDP for the previous quarter was 3.5%, (2000-2006 average was 3.1%).
3. The Unemployment rate was 4.6%, (2000-2006 average was 4.5%).
4. Inflation was at 2.3% (2000-2006 average was 2.7%)
5. George Bush's Economic policies SET A RECORD of 52 STRAIGHT MONTHS of JOB CREATION, increased GDP, low unemployment, and low inflation -- IN SPITE of two wars and two major hurricane disasters.
Remember the day...
1. January 3rd, 2007 was the day that Barney Frank took over the House Financial Services Committee and Chris Dodd took over the Senate Banking Committee.
2. The economic meltdown that happened 15 months later was in what part of the economy? BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES!
3. Thank Congress for taking us from 12,500+ DOW, 3.5 GDP and 4.6% Unemployment to this CRISIS by dumping 5-6 TRILLION Dollars of toxic loans on the economy from THEIR Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fiasco's! (BTW: Bush asked Congress 17 TIMES to stop Fannie & Freddie - from April 2001 thru June 2008, because it was financially risky for the U.S. economy, but no one was listening).
-- And who took the THIRD highest pay-off from Fannie Mae AND Freddie Mac? OBAMA!
-- And who fought against reform of Fannie and Freddie?? OBAMA and the Democratic Congress.
So when someone tries to blame Bush... REMEMBER JANUARY 3rd, 2007.... THE DAY THE DEMOCRATS TOOK OVER!"
Bush may have been in the car, but the Democrats were in charge of the gas pedal and steering wheel --THEY WERE DRIVING!
Set the record straight on Bush. The liberal media sure won't lift a finger to do it!
So, as you listen to all the commercials and liberal media promoting Democrats who are now distancing themselves from their voting record and their party, remember how they didn't listen to you when you said you DIDN'T WANT all the bailouts, you DIDN'T WANT the health care bill, you DIDN'T WANT cap and trade, you DIDN'T WANT them to continue spending money we don't have.
Don't forget their complicity in getting us into this mess. I'm not!
Posted October 11, 2010 at 7:15:46 PM
Chris
Pete, I suggest reading the book "A Colossal Failure of Common Sense: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Lehman Brothers". The economy was well on it's way to a collapse prior to the democrats taking over.
http://www.amazon.com/Colossal-Failure-Common-Sense-Collapse/dp/0307588335
Basically once the crash started, the government was very slow to act until after the financial industry took a major hit and the crash was on trend to become way way more severe without intervention. Private sector greed on high risk loans based on faulty logic of "if housing prices have gone up, they will keep going up!" set the stage for the financial disaster - no controls in the US were in place to catch it, such as in Canada where the crash impact was minimized due to government controls on lending.
Posted October 11, 2010 at 7:29:42 PM
wow
baloney!!!
Posted October 11, 2010 at 8:11:07 PM
GrangerMan
I think counting on Americans to pull themselves up by their moral bootstraps -- to not adopt the Latin American, and now Greek, SOP where it is accepted that everyone is gaming the system and is a **fool** not to -- is very wishful thinking. Nothing short of a terrible crisis, with starvation and everything, will jolt these people into the righteous behavior you think they'll adopt, and even only then because it will be forced on them. I believe a National Debt worth half the price of a **very nice** house for every man, woman, and child is simply **too huge** to whittle away at. As soon as interests rates go up, which they must as confidence in the dollar is falling, the debt on our collective notes will be unpayable. A quick slide into economic oblivion will follow, and we'll be thrown back to 3rd world status in short order.
Posted October 11, 2010 at 10:20:20 PM
Just saying
Chris: the government has no business controlling lending or any other aspect of private industry/business.
The market would have recovered a lot faster without our feareless leaders butting in, and no company is too big to fail. I suggest you read "Meltdown", but it may be too late...
Posted October 11, 2010 at 10:56:31 PM
Robert Eleazer
Back around 1993 a study led by a group of Congressmen, one of whom was Sen Warren Rudman, concluded that for every $1.00 collected in taxes by the Federal Government, government tax regulations imposed 40 cents worth of costs on the private sector.
And it's worse than that; they require that we do the impossible. Each year when I do my taxes I find that the IRS has decided that if I was not able to estimate the income from my investments in the stock market and pay the tax on them in advance I have to pay a penalty. Now think about that. If I could estimate stock market performance with such accuracy I would have Warren Buffett buffing my car. Bill Gates would be fixing that loose gate at my house. Members of the Walton family would be personally saying "Welcome to Wal Mart" to me as I walked into their store. But I can't make such predictions so they charge me a fine.
Posted October 13, 2010 at 10:42:24 AM