Barry Goldwater, The Conscience of a Conservative - 4th session

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Barry Goldwater, *The Conscience of a Conservative* 4th Reading Group: Dandi, Mori

Chapter 2. The Perils of Power

Absolute power corrupts absolutely

The moment those who have seized government power are allowed to do as they please, “can” immediately turns into “will.”

This is the corrupting effect of power: once a person has some power, he tends to seek more power for himself.

That tendency ultimately leads to the acquisition of all power. Whether it is concentrated in the hands of one person or several, it makes no difference to the freedom of those outside that circle.

Also, the Constitution is a “system of restraints” against the government’s natural tendency to expand in the direction of absolutism.

That system of restraints was intended to prevent not only personal tyranny, but also the tyranny of the masses.

Demagogues will persuade the majority of the people to hand over enormous power to the government in exchange for deceptive promises of economic gain.

The deception of kept promises

It is not broken promises that are the cause of our suffering. Rather, it is the promises that have been kept. Too often, we have put into office those who propose spending a little more on this, a little more on that, introducing new welfare programs, and devising yet another variety of “social security.”

We have fallen into temptation because we like to postpone the recovery of liberty and the restoration of constitutional order until another day. By convincing ourselves that everything is unconditionally good so long as “the people” rule, we have followed the path of countless democratic societies that lost their freedom.

Alexis de Tocqueville saw that danger in America in the 1830s.

Even then, he foresaw decline in a society inclined to place somewhat greater emphasis on democracy than on republicanism. He predicted that America would produce not a despot, but a “guardian.”

Concern over the extinction of liberty

Lamenting the harm will not reverse it, and merely pointing fingers will not shrink government.

Change will come only when we entrust the management of our community to people who realize that their first duty as public officials is to take away from themselves the power that has been given to them.

My purpose is not to pass bills, but to repeal them.

My purpose is not to launch new programs, but to abolish old programs that violate the Constitution, have already failed in light of their objectives, or impose unjust financial burdens on the people.

While the United States is rushing toward populism and socialism, Korea is gripped by a totalitarian fervor for an even stronger socialist system.

The age of crisis has returned.

But merely lamenting the harm and merely pointing fingers will not change the trend on its own.

Our first task will be to prepare ourselves to recognize true liberal politicians who are ready to strip themselves of their own power.

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Original title: 베리 골드워터 <보수주의자의 양심>-4차

Author: Jayujuui Ipmun Dokseotoronmoim

Date: 2020-12-20

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=reading01&pn=6&idx=23365