Thomas: John Kasich’s bad idea

  • Saturday, November 28, 2015 5:21pm
  • Opinion

Conservatives are supposed to be against big government and opposed to the left’s belief that problems can and should be solved by Washington.

Which is why Ohio governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich’s proposal to create a new government agency to promote “Judeo-Christian values” is a really bad idea.

Put aside for a moment that the federal government does few things well, or within budget, and consider also how preposterous and unworkable such an idea would be.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

In a speech at the National Press Club in Washington last week, Kasich, who grew up Catholic and remains a man of Christian faith, said he thinks the U.S. needs such an agency to help the country be “more forceful in the battle of ideas.” He added, “U.S. public diplomacy and international broadcasting have lost their focus on the case for Western values and ideals and effectively countering your opponents’ propaganda and disinformation.”

Here is a short list of the many problems with such a proposal.

Problem No. 1: Who would represent the “Judeos” and the “Christians”? Would it be an Orthodox or reformed Jew? Would a Jewish mystic from the Kabbalah sect be included? There are numerous Christian denominations and sects, so how would Kasich select one as representative of Christianity? Would those left out protest? Would there be lawsuits, not only from excluded religious groups, but from the ACLU? Church-state separation, you know.

Problem No. 2: What “values” would be promoted? Certainly not, one would hope, cultural values, as displayed in many Hollywood films and on television. Are the “traditional values” Kasich supports even practiced by a majority of Americans in an age when we seem to tolerate everything (except traditional values) and when the Kardashians take up far too much brain space? Who would be the ultimate decider on which “values” to promote? And what about people who seek to promote values different from Kasich’s?

Problem No. 3: Do we really want to turn over what ought to be the responsibility and privilege of individual religious believers to the federal government, which can’t even save dollars taken from taxpayers, much less the souls of individual citizens? Too many churches, especially, have retreated from their responsibility to apply their faith to those who are hungry, homeless and imprisoned. Tax-exempt ministries now do the work individuals have been commanded to do.

Problem No. 4: How do you promote American “values” to secular and Islamic societies, which mostly do not share them? Who has the credibility to speak for and represent such values, even if they could be agreed upon? A president can promote values by talking about them and endorsing individuals and programs that practice them. The Voice of America and Radio Liberty used to broadcast American values to the world during the Cold War, but in the Internet age, broadcasting, which can be easily jammed, is probably not as effective as the web.

In order for a country to promote something, it must first practice it. A better idea would be to allow school choice so that poor children especially can be liberated from failing public schools and given a chance for a better life. A good education is a value that can be enhanced by the federal government getting out of the way and busting the last major monopoly in the country: public education.

Kasich rightly laments the loss of some core values most Americans once embraced. It wasn’t the federal government that got rid of most of them — though the Supreme Court played a role. Rather, it is we the people who have chosen to live by different values to our detriment and shame. If they are to return, it will take the work of those “Judeo-Christians” and not the dysfunctional federal government.

Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.

More in Opinion

President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia at a joint news conference in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018. (Doug Mills/The New York Times file photo)
Opinion: Mistaking flattery for respect

Flattery played a role in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Life is harder when you outlive your support group

Long-time friends are more important than ever to help us cope, to remind us we are not alone and that others feel the same way.

Deven Mitchell is the executive director and chief executive officer of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. (Photo courtesy of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.)
Opinion: The key to a stronger fund: Diversification

Diversification is a means of stabilizing returns and mitigating risk.

A silver salmon is weighed at Three Bears in Kenai, Alaska. Evelyn McCoy, customer service PIC at Three Bears, looks on. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Opinion: Will coho salmon be the next to disappear in the Kenai River?

Did we not learn anything from the disappearance of the kings from the Kenai River?

Jonathan Flora is a lifelong commercial fisherman and dockworker from Homer, Alaska.
Point of View: Not fishing for favors — Alaskans need basic health care access

We ask our elected officials to oppose this bill that puts our health and livelihoods in danger.

Alex Koplin. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: Public schools do much more than just teach the three Rs

Isn’t it worth spending the money to provide a quality education for each student that enters our schools?

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks to reporters at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter to the Editor: Law enforcement officers helped ensure smooth, secure energy conference

Their visible commitment to public safety allowed attendees to focus fully on collaboration, learning, and the important conversations shaping our path forward.

Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo
The present-day KTOO public broadcasting building, built in 1959 for the U.S. Army’s Alaska Communications System Signal Corps, is located on filled tidelands near Juneau’s subport. Today vehicles on Egan Drive pass by the concrete structure with satellite dishes on the roof that receive signals from NPR, PBS and other sources.
My Turn: Stand for the community radio, not culture war optics

Alaskans are different and we pride ourselves on that. If my vehicle… Continue reading

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) delivers his annual speech to the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Sullivan, Trump and the rule of lawlessness

In September 2023, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan established his own Alaska Federal… Continue reading

UAA Provost Denise Runge photographed outside the Administration and Humanities Building at the University of Alaskas Anchorage. (courtesy photo)
Opinion: UAA’s College of Health — Empowering Alaska’s future, one nurse at a time

At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we understand the health of our… Continue reading

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, address a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: A noncongressman for Alaska?

It’s right to ask whether Nick Begich is a noncongressman for Alaska.… Continue reading

Boats return to the Homer Harbor at the end of the fishing period for the 30th annual Winter King Salmon Tournament on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Opinion: Funding sustainable fisheries

Spring is always a busy season for Alaska’s fishermen and fishing communities.… Continue reading

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in