Catholic Subsidiarity and a Tea Party Manifesto

By Mark Henry

The mid-term elections are just around the corner and America is on the brink of a political sea change pushed by a populist Tea Party led movement which opposes the Obama administration's big government approach to governance.

With an angry citizenry poised to drain the political swamp, the big question which begs an answer is … In what direction will these newly elected politicians lead us?

The voting constituency pushing this populist firestorm is diverse and does not lend itself to convenient political labeling. However, there is a common thread running through this group which is that they are fed up with the big government/big business/big labor trifecta.

Clearly, this momentous political movement is known more for what it stands against, rather than what it stands for.

As such, there is an ideological vacuum in this popular uprising which needs to be filled.

"Leaders" of this rank and file driven movement would do well to fill this ideological void with a platform anchored to a solid unshakable cornerstone. What is needed is an ideology that transcends labels like Democrat, Republican or Libertarian yet is mindful of the shortcomings of these political parties.

What is called for is an ideology that seeks to advance the cause of the common man, rather than elites, and which respects life, family and liberty.

The Catholic doctrine of subsidiarity is precisely that ideology. If a Tea Party Manifesto is created, its cornerstone should be the time-tested Catholic doctrine of subsidiarity.

In the political context, the principle of subsidiarity states that political decisions and other matters generally should be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority. The Catechism (Sec. 1882 - 1883) clearly instructs Catholics to look to subsidiarity to protect against excessive intervention by the state which threatens personal freedom and initiative. This principle safeguards the ideals of limited government and personal freedom and stands squarely opposed to the welfare state’s goals of centralization and bureaucracy.

In the broader social context, subsidiarity stresses the importance of the common good and the values of family, life and community.

In his 1991 encyclical Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II warned us that the welfare state undermined this core principle of subsidiarity. The welfare state discourages human initiative and results in an excessive increase of public bureaucracies. This results in an enormous increase in spending by a government whose goal is to achieve its own statist agenda rather than to serve the public.

A growing number of reform minded politicians understand the relevance and importance of subsidiarity in dealing with the challenges of the day.

A fine example is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie whose efforts to fend off a state bankruptcy by shrinking state government are grounded in the principle of subsidiarity. Chris Christie's efforts to pare down the size and expense of government is a modern day profile in courage. Governor Christie’s reform efforts have provoked the ire of government employee unions who are resisting even modest cutbacks in employee benefits.

Christie’s crusade to reign in excessive government spending is also attracting attention nationwide as our nation’s financial crisis worsens and taxpaying citizens see that the cost of government just keeps on rising.

Before Chris Christie recently stormed onto the political scene, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum publically proclaimed the virtues of subsidiarity in his books, speeches and in the corridors of the Capitol.

Similarly, the lawsuits filed by 20 states to oppose Obamacare as an unprecedented encroachment by the federal government over the rights of private citizens are further examples of subsidiarity in action.

America would do well to select its future leaders from these individuals and others whose political ideologies are grounded on the core Catholic teaching of subsidiarity.

The results of the upcoming mid-term elections will likely be encouraging for politicians whose style of governance, whether they realize it or not, reflects bulwarks of subsidiarity like limited government and the common good. On the other hand, political leaders of both major parties who govern contrary to these principles do so at risk of shortening their own careers.

The large and still growing number of people who have joined together to evict the political ruling class include Tea Partiers, Libertarians, Conservative Republican, Reagan Democrats and many others who have suffered in this economic downturn. This is a diverse group indeed and for it to have long-term staying power this reform movement will need to come together on common ideological grounds. This common ground will not be found in the worn out policies emitting from the smoke-filled back rooms frequented by the elites who currently dominate American politics, both Republican and Democrat.

Instead, the ideology needed to unify this diverse reform minded movement needs to be based on the common good and respect for family, life, liberty and local community. These are time tested authentic values that people of good will can and should agree on. Subsidiarity is manifested in these commonly held values. These values must be the common ground upon which reform minded Americans can unify to recapture America and restore our country to greatness.

Subsidiarity is the ideological light on the path that our leaders need to follow to lead America out of these challenging times.

Without a doubt, subsidiarity was made for times such as these.