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You recognize the inefficiency of having the government run the economy. You also seem to think that the government can do some good in improving people's personal habits in some areas. You fit in the Reagan-Goldwater wing of the Republican party. So, you probably approve of half or so of the Republicans in office, while at other times you might prefer the Constitution Party candidate, or even the Libertarian candidate.

Approximately 4% of the takers of this quiz scored in this area, 8% for all conservatives outside the centrist circle.

Political Parties

Political parties, campaigns, and related links of interest for economic conservatives.

Not happy with the existing parties? Would you like to see a political party that was concerned about freedom and equality? Would you like to shrink big government and big corporations? I am contemplating starting such a party. This is not a trivial undertaking! However in my manual on how to start a new political party I seriously address the challenges inherent in third party politics in the United States. Third parties generally fail, because the system is rigged against third parties. However, there are a couple of interesting loopholes...

Ideas on Liberty

Ideas on economic liberty, including some pages showing some surprising overlaps between economic conservative ideas and ideas held dear by other factions.

Individual Liberty, Limited Government, Free Markets, and Peace. Good research site.

Free Market News Network. Lots of interesting news and commentary of interest to believers in free markets. Lots of stories you won't find in your local paper, including stories by the opposition.

The rich are Paid to BE Rich. This strikes many as unfair, and they advocate bigger government to do something about it. What they don't realize is that the government is doing much of the paying. The old money rich are subsidized. So I started this blog to expose the hidden subsidies -- without the unnecessary conspiracy theories that usually accompany such exposes.

Think economics is just about predicting interest rates? Think again! Marginal Revolution is a very interesting economics blog written by professors at George Mason University.

From your answers it appears you believe that government should actively enforce some aspects of personal morality. If you think that such enforcement should be based on Christian (or Jewish) principles, here are some in-depth Bible studies on the matter for your consideration.
In Old Testament times, the people of Israel were supposed to aggressively enforce some aspects of personal morality. Adultery, idol worshipping, homosexuality, and Sabbath-breaking were all death penalty offenses. But in other ways, the Old Testament Law was quite libertarian, more so than U.S. law today. Recreational drugs were legal under Biblical Law. Prostitution was legal under certain circumstances. There were no prisons. Penalties for property crimes were in many ways less harsh than U.S. law. Indeed, the Bible contains a recipe for something close to anarcho-capitalism!
But should Christians be enforcing the Old Testament Law? Even in ancient times, the Law was enforced only in the Holy Land. The New Testament calls for forgiveness, not enforcement. This is not to say that Christians should water down calls for righteousness, merely that they have less mandate to enforce righteousness by force than ancient Israelites.
One can make a good argument that Christian standards of morality should be higher than the mandates of Old Testament Law. However, this is not a justification for enforcement by The State, because Christianity is not for everyone. The Bible says so. And when Christians overlook this important fact, they are tempted to either water down the meaning of Christian or resort to forcible conversions. But if not are all called, what is the fate of unbelievers? And if not all are called to be Christians, to what extent can we call the United States a Christian Nation?

If you are tired of the expense, bureaucracy and subsidized immorality of the current welfare state, check out God's Welfare System. This article shows shows how the poor were supposed to be taken care of during Old Testament times. Many of the ideas are useful to this day, ideas on how to help the poor without subsidizing irresponsibility.

The Other Foe of Free Enterprise. These days, most people think of socialism as being the opposite of free enterprise. Historically, this has not been the case. Best selling science fiction author David Brin points out the other, much more dangerous, foe.

The environmental movement is the future, and if something isn't done, it will be a bureacratic future. Meanwhile, Social Security is threatening to bankrupt the country. Stop Global Warming puts these two apparently disparate ideas together for an idea that might just unite economic conservatives and the environmentalists for a bit.

Fun Reads for Economic Conservatives

Eat the Rich by P.J. O'Rourke. A very funny survey of various economic ideas, from around the world. On-the-spot coverage of the consequences of various economic ideas, where they were applied. In this one, O'Rourke plays fair, with chapters such as "Good Capitalism," "Bad Capitalism," "Good Socialism," and "Bad Socialism."	Parliament of Whores by P.J. O'Rourke. A hilarious but informative look at the workings of U.S. government. (Avoid if you find the occasional four-letter word to be objectionable.)
Memoirs Found in a Bathtub, by Stanislaw Lem. A dark comedy that takes place in the ultimate bureaucracy. This one is hard for me to describe, but it's very funny.	The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. A classic and inspirational read. Do note the passages which discuss the difference between charity and self-sacrifice. C. S. Lewis and Ayn Rand attacked similar villains, but had significantly different solutions.
That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis. Part III of Lewis' space trilogy. The plot has some fascinating parallels to Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged despite the fact that Lewis was a devout Christian while Rand was a devout atheist.

Deeper Reading for Economic Conservatives

Economics, education, law, and political science:

Hidden Order by David Friedman. A fun introduction to economics. Will have you understanding non-obvious results from the first chapter. Covers many unusual topics such as the economics of marriage, elections, and checkout lines.	Dumbing Us Down, by John Taylor Gatto. A stunning indictment of the public school system. See also The Underground History of American Education. Gatto makes a strong case that freedom and morality both hinge on ending compulsory education.
Simple Rules for a Complex World, by Richard Epstein. It would be nice to simply say that private property is good and that initiation of force is bad and build a legal system based on this dictum. Alas, the real world is not so simple. Legal scholar Richard Epstein points out the holes and suggests additional axioms to make a complete legal system for a free society.	Law's Order, by David Friedman. OK, so you believe in property rights, right? So where does your property begin and mine end? Do I have the right to turn on the lights or do the photons that hit your property constitute tresspass? What if those photons come from a high powered laser? OK, that was an extreme example, but there are many real world examples where the simplistic view of property rights fails. Dr. Friedman gives them a hard look. People will take your ideas more seriously if you do too.
Lost Rights by James Bovard. Chilling documentation on why government is truly a "fearsome servant". News reports of how innocent-sounding intentions have often led to horrible injustice. Hard data on why the people need to keep a close watch on their government, and why many think that government should be kept small in order to make it easier to keep such a watch.