Distributism and Campaign Finance Reform

This article was originally published by

The Distributist Review on 19 July, 2010

It’s campaign time again in the US. The issue of how political campaigns are financed has become a popular topic in recent years, with both of the major parties accusing each other of bad practice. Everyone knows that the ability to fund political campaigns has a direct influence on political policies. Our constitutional republic is supposed to act in the interests of the several states and the people, not those of corporations, union leaders, or other groups. However, as John Médaille says, we really live in a republic of PACs. As long as organizations with large bank rolls can exert influence on our government’s policies, putting their interests over those of the people, we will remain a plutocracy.

The Economists Are Beginning To Crack

Tim Duy asks “Why Is the American Jobs Machine Broken?” In the article, he describes the discussions economists are having about the reasons the job market continues to decline, and declares that he has become a heretic in regard to the theories of Free Trade. The fact that economists are beginning to question their policies is only the beginning.  The only choices they appear to see are between Free Trade and protectionism. In fact, the issue goes much deeper than that. This small crack in the faith of modern economists is just the first step in a long journey to seeing what is truly necessary for economic stability.

Distributism and Government Entitlement Programs

One important aspect of any economic view is how to meet the needs of those who, for some reason, cannot meet their own needs. The views on this subject vary, not only within society, but even within individual economic views. However within the economic views, there is generally a common philosophy that determines the direction of how to address such things. Those who hold more of a socialist view advocate the government's direct involvement in just about anything. Those who hold the more “conservative” or libertarian view advocate as little government involvement as possible. One aspect of the philosophy which forms the basis of Distributism is the principal of subsidiarity.

Distributism and the Possibility of State-wide Cooperative Ownership of Certain Production.

Are there some areas of production where collective ownership is compatible with Distributism? In The Servile State, Hilaire Belloc proposes that the remedy to the problems of the inequities of Capitalism are either to move ownership from the few to the many (toward Distributism), or from the few to none (toward Collectivism which is essentially Socialism). If toward Distributism, the process will be slower and more painful because it will involve the decentralization of the property into the hands of many small owners. The process toward Collectivism is easier because it is less disruptive to what already exists in Capitalism.

Distributism and Campaign Finance Reform

During his State of the Union speech, the president was critical of the Supreme Court ruling that removed limits on corporate political contributions. This is one time where I actually agree, in part, with him. Our constitutional republic is supposed to act in the interests of the several states and the people, not those of corporations, union leaders, or other groups.

Distributism and Obamacare

A favorite charge against distributism is that it is just another form of socialism. This is based on a false assumption taken from the name of the movement, that distributism is nothing more than the redistribution of wealth. While distributism desires to establish a wide distribution of wealth, the means of accomplishing that goal are not socialist in nature. In fact, the moral and philosophical foundation of distributism is completely incompatible with socialism. This is why I sometimes refer to distributism as “distributist capitalism,” as a distinct form of capitalism compared to “monopolistic capitalism” (the capitalism under which we live).