The "values" debate

Every so often, politicians talk about sharing their constituents' "values" on topics such as abortion, taxation, same-sex marriage, as well as considerably less controversial topics such as freedom.

The cynic in me says: "They are lying to get re-elected." And that may be true. What disturbs me more, however, is that the debate on values is so poorly framed, and that Americans do seem to share values with politicians, but not in a good way.

For example, virtually every American and certainly every American politician will admit to "freedom" as a core value. After all, the United States was founded on the ideal that all humans should be free (with notable exceptions at the time). Unfortunately, freedom is a slippery concept.

U.S. citizens don't have the freedom to murder their neighbors, at least not without penalty. Murder is against the law in every state, and is, in certain instances, a federal crime, and is prohibited in the Bible by one of the Ten Commandments. I doubt that a large percentage Americans consider this prohibition against murder an onerous limit to their freedom. However, one role of our government, staffed by politicians and bureaucrats, is to determine the boundaries of our freedom. What are laws if not limits on freedom?

So, we are a "free" country, within the limits of the law. That's a problem for the "values" debate because while we all value freedom, we define it differently. Politicians often talk about freedom from government interference for businesses and individuals. A business and an individual should be able to, without government interference, enter into an employment contract. The employee can sell his/her time and talent for whatever salary the market will bear. If an employer desperately needs an employee with a rare talent, then the salary is likely to be high. If anyone can do the job, then the salary will be low. Then the government steps in and limits the freedom of individuals and employers by setting a minimum wage, putting limits on child labor, taxing income, and applying hundreds of other regulations. Why?

Because values do not exist in a vacuum. The minimum wage law keeps employers from unfairly exploiting employees. Why? Because in addition to valuing freedom, Americans value fairness. We also value happiness. Jobs that don't pay enough for people to afford food and shelter, or jobs that abuse our children make us unhappy. (OK, that's a huge simplification, but you get the idea.)

This is why the values debate is poorly framed. We tend to talk about values as simplistic ideals instead of explaining what those values mean and how they must be balanced against each other. The American public is behaving like a bunch of simpletons by not demanding real debate of the issues and the values that underlie the issues. We are letting the politicians get away with it.

Shame on us.

More later,
Russ