The One Party System

I have often said we have a one Party (statist) system in America with two factions. Commenter rustbelt makes the same point in a different way:

I noticed recently that the argument “Marijuana is a threat to the moral fiber of our people” sounds very much like a (turn of the century) Progressive argument. They also engage in the “physical fitness = godliness” theme, also Progressive. To what extent have the religious of the US adopted Progressive themes and “morals” as religious morals? Would they be upset if they realized they had done this, since the whole package of Progressive values includes abortion, eugenics, and the elevation of “experts” above the laity.

Around the turn of the 20th Century a significant fraction of social conservatives joined with the Progressives to give the country moral and economic uplift by passing laws. Alcohol Prohibition was a significant outcome of that union. The two factions have since split. The Progressives now mostly handle economic matters while statist social conservatives mostly handle moral matters. And professional courtesy dictates that neither side does much to roll back the other. What is “done” is mostly for the purposes of campaign rhetoric. Once elected not much gets done. Except a further tightening of the straight jacket.

The guiding principle? “How can other people consent to something I don’t like?”

Things like you deciding how to spend your money or who you want to have sex with. Both consensual acts we hope. Otherwise it would be theft or rape.