Think about that for a moment: A federal bureaucrat to oversee families
The genius of the American experiment is the clear line our Constitution draws between public and private lives. The government should be limited in its power and reach, especially when it comes to raising our families. As the old saying goes, a man’s home is his castle.
That’s why it is so surprising to learn that a group of family advocates feels differently. Some so-called social conservatives, like Tony Perkins, actually think that the federal government needs to get more involved in our family life.
In recent weeks, Perkins, the top man at the Family Research Council, a large political advocacy group in Washington, has been calling for John McCain to prove his social conservative bona fides by pledging to appoint a “family czar.”
I’m sure Perkins would find a way to claim he’s just there to give America’s families a helping hand, that he’s promoting our country’s precious faith and values. But as Ronald Reagan said, the most frightening words in the English language are, “I’m from the government. I’m here to help.” If there’s anything our families don’t need, it is Washington mucking around in their lives. Could anyone imagine a less conservative idea?
Before our era, people on the whole operated by the adage that men can make good laws, but laws cannot make men good. All conservatives need to remember that the best way for government to help families is to get out of their way: Stay out of their homes, their churches, and their pocketbooks. The best way to fight for the country’s faith and families isn’t through the shameless pandering and political opportunism of a new national czar, but instead through an unequivocal defense of the principles of freedom.