It’s been awhile since I read a Cal Thomas column. Partly that’s because his views when I did read him annoyed me…and partly it’s because I don’t do print media any more.
However, I think he has a few good points in a post at Real Clear Politics Tuesday:
Contemporary conservatism has mostly been about saying “no” to the liberal agenda. Suppose conservatives instead begin to circumvent liberals by applying better ideas to achieve ends liberals and conservatives claim to seek?[...]
Frum proposes an agenda that uses conservative principles to actually solve, rather than just talk about, serious problems. He wants universally available health insurance, but offered through the private sector; lower taxes to encourage savings and investment, but higher taxes on energy and pollution to promote conservation; a conservative environmentalism that promotes nuclear power to reduce our need for oil and coal (this would satisfy the Left’s misguided belief in “global warming,” while simultaneously pleasing the Right by freeing us from dependence on foreign oil); federal policies to encourage larger families; major reductions in unskilled immigration; a campaign for prison reform and a campaign against obesity; higher ethical standards inside the conservative movement and Republican Party; and a renewed commitment to expand and rebuild the armed forces in order to crush terrorism and prepare for the coming challenge from China.
I’m not so sure about the “federal policies to encourage larger families” and “major reductions in unskilled immigration”, but otherwise, I think he might have a point.