“Promises, promises, promises. So, Curmudge, we’re finally going to say something about Room
to Grow. It’s about time.”
“Actually, Julie, we don’t have to say very much. The complete e-book is available, free
of charge, to anyone with a computer.
Nevertheless, I’ll provide a brief overview. The authors—one for each chapter—are members of the YG
Network (YG stands for ‘Young Guns’).
They consider themselves to be moderate conservatives, and they have
been considering ways by which our government might be modified to better meet
the needs of middle-class Americans.
The chapters of the book contain their individual recommendations.”
“I understand that you have found several articles about Room to Grow and the YG Network. Reading these as well as chapter
summaries will save the busy person from having to read the whole book. Perhaps, Old Grey Fox, you should write
your own book on ‘How to Succeed in Writing Without Really Reading.’ So here are the equivalents of
SparkNotes or Cliffsnotes on Room to Grow:
an article by Mona Charen in the 6/05/14
Chicago Sun-Times; and a longer article on the YG Network by Sam Tanenhaus
in the 7/02/14
NY Times Magazine.”
“Although health care is addressed in Room to Grow (RtG), we discussed that topic in several
postings two years ago. In the
near future we’ll revisit it and include RtG’s insights. So here are some other subjects—and
their authors—covered in RtG:
The Anxieties of Middle
America—Peter Wehner: ‘The
chief fear of middle-class
Americans is that just as it is getting harder for poor people to
climb into the middle class, a stagnant economy is making it all too easy for
those who have achieved middle class status to fall out of it.’ ‘Conservatives must offer a concrete
conservative agenda that tackles the barriers to upward mobility, and that
renews faith in free enterprise and our constitutional system.’
Governing Vision—Yuval Levin: ‘America’s families face stagnating wages,
excessive tax burdens, rising health and higher education costs, barriers to
mobility and work, disincentives to marriage and childbearing, and an economy
increasingly held back by over-regulation, cronyism, institutional sclerosis,
and mounting public debt. And each of these problems has been greatly
exacerbated by a federal government that is overreaching, hyperactive,
unwieldy, and immensely expensive.’
‘The conservative reform agenda aims to replace a failing liberal
welfare state with a lean and responsive 21st century government worthy of a
free, diverse, and innovative society.’
Tax Reform—Robert
Stein: ‘Conservatives
should offer tax cuts to reduce the cost of raising children.’ ‘By supporting tax relief for parents
when they need it most, conservatives could do more than correct a distortion
in the tax code.’
K-12 Education Reform—Frederick
Hess: ‘The
Right should take the lead in liberating teachers from regulations that make it
extremely difficult to do their jobs well -- a step that will help demonstrate
that while conservatives often oppose teachers unions, they are not opposed to
the interests of teachers.’
Higher Education Reform—Andrew Kelly: ‘We
must support occupational opportunities, like high-quality apprenticeship
programs that provide the
non-college-bound with real-world skills.’
Safety-Net Reforms—Scott
Winship: ‘Though
federal and state spending on anti-poverty programs is in the neighborhood of a
trillion dollars a year, millions of Americans remain stuck at the bottom of
the economic ladder.’
‘Conservatives have advanced a number of poverty-fighting ideas in
recent years, including a unified anti-poverty block grant to the states or a
universal credit that would consolidate various anti-poverty programs.
Conservatives would do well to couple welfare reforms with a robust
economic-growth agenda.’
Employment Policies—Michael Strain:
‘Roll back licensing requirements; offer relocation assistance in place of
continued unemployment benefits; temporarily lower minimum wages for the long-
term unemployed with a temporary subsidy; offer tax credits for those hiring
long-term unemployed; promote worksharing programs to prevent layoffs; and
expand the earned-income tax credit to make work more attractive to childless
workers.’
Energy Reforms—Adam J. White:
‘Congress must undertake serious oversight of regulatory agencies, to deter
officials from misusing their power and improperly administering the laws.’ ‘Americans must finally be given a
voice charting the
nation’s energy future, instead of having
radical new energy policies imposed upon them by regulators and ideologues.’
Reforms to Help Parents Balance Work
and Family—Carrie Lukas: ‘When greater flexibility and more options are what
most women crave, one-size-fits-all government solutions can take society in
the wrong direction.’
‘Policymakers should focus on creating an environment so that women can pursue
their vision for happiness and raise their children as they see fit.’
Combat Cronyism—James
Pethokoukis: ‘The federal government must cease to offer protections to
politically influential businesses that shield them from the upstart rivals
that, if given half a chance, could make America’s economy more innovative and
productive.’ ‘Innovators should be
given the room they need to experiment with new business models without fear of
running afoul of incumbent-protecting regulations.’
Pro-Family Policies to Strengthen
Marriage—W. Bradford Wilcox: ‘Ending the marriage penalty associated with
means-tested public benefits would be a good first step toward reversing the
decline of marriage. Reforming the earned-income tax credit by tying it to
individuals rather than households would ensure that when one low-wage worker
marries another, neither would experience a loss of income. Expanding the child
tax credit to $4,000 would give a boost to married couples further up the
income scale.’
Recovering the Wisdom of the
Constitution—Ramesh Ponnuru: ‘The federal government has taken on more and more
responsibilities, inserting itself into every nook and cranny of American life,
yet it seems incapable of performing even the most basic tasks competently.
Corporations face multiple regulators. Presidents revise laws without bothering
to consult Congress. Federal agencies wield massive authority while facing
little in the way of accountability. The limited but effective government
envisioned by the Founders bears almost no resemblance to the chaos that now
reigns.’ ‘Restoring something like
constitutional government is a task that will take generations, and it will
have to be undertaken by citizens and legislators as well as by courts.’ “
“Wow, Curmudge! That’s a bunch of
stuff to think about. In our next
posting we’ll bring in some additional thoughts about Room to Grow and then try to summarize curmudgeonocracy. After that, we may be due for a
vacation.”
Kaizen Curmudgeon
Link to posting from blog archives: The Middle Years—2/09/11
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