I’m very disappointed with George Will’s defense of what he ludicrously calls “strong-government conservativism”: Today “strong government conservatism” — “strong” is not synonymous with “big” — is the only conservatism palatable to a public that expects government to assuage three of life’s largest fears: illness, old age and educational deficits that prevent social mobility. Some conservatives believe government strength is inherently inimical to conservative aspirations. This belief mistakenly assumes that all government action is merely coercive, hence a subtraction from freedom. But government can act strongly to make itself less controlling and intrusive, enacting laws that offer opportunities and incentives for individuals to become more self-sufficient.
All government action is coercive, George. And you can’t respond to a question of WHAT by responding with an answer to WHY. Republicans have not been “liberated”, they have, to the contrary, stuck their necks into the noose of government tyranny. There’s nothing conservative about it.