… is from page 238 of the original edition of Robert Higgs’s marvelous 1987 book, Crisis and Leviathan:
Once the fundamental barriers of a restrictive ideology and the old Constitution had been battered down, persistent political forces pushing toward Bigger Government could exert themselves virtually without limit.
DBx: Yes.
By “restrictive ideology,” Bob here means an ideology that restricts the growth of government. This ideology was dominant in the United States certainly through the 1880s, and probably until WWI. Ever since, this pro-market, pro-liberty ideology has been beaten further and further back – sometimes quickly (as during WWII), other times less quickly (as during much of the last quarter of the 20th century). But this healthy, liberal ideology has for more than 100 years now always been beaten back by the combined forces of collectivist superstition, irrational or exaggerated fears, and interest-group politics.
Strong evidence in support of the claim that Bob makes above is found in the covidian tyranny that swept most of the land starting in March 2020.
