“We’re all Socialists Now” proclaimed the cover of Newsweek in February of ’09. Stuart Varney begs to differ. Last week, I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Varney, senior business journalist at Fox Networks. As a fellow defender of capitalism and ardent opponent of big government, I have been a fan of Varney’s for a long time. Cheery and affable both on screen and in person, Varney is not bashful about being an advocate for the free market, and, conversely, shining a light on the demoralizing, suffocating aspects of our blossoming Nanny State. On his show that day, he spoke with the head of the Miami patrolman’s union defending the union’s position not to give an inch on its bloated pension system (where an ordinary retired police officer receives north of $90,000 per year and a lump sum payment in excess of $850,000). He also had a guest that demonstrated that the extension of unemployment benefits are helping keep the unemployment rate artificially high----when all benefits are considered, it turns out that unemployment pays better in many instances.
My chat with Varney was relatively brief, but two thoughts occurred to me afterword. The first is that Mr. Varney walks the walk—a true capitalist actor in a competitive marketplace. After shaking my hand, the first words out of his mouth were, “How can we improve the show?” I am not a media expert or consultant, but only a single consumer of his product (admittedly, one that is in his target demographic). But Mr. Varney was eager to learn if he could make his product better for his customers, ever seeking to get better. When does ANYONE in government ever ask that question? Imagine someone from the EPA or Department of Energy or Health and Human Services asking how their department might improve. The thought is preposterous. They don’t need to ask. They already know how to achieve their mission. Their mission is to develop a bunch of rules for YOU to follow, and to think of ways to make life painful and unpleasant if you do not. You really don’t have much choice about consuming the “government services” they produce. Mr. Varney does not have that luxury. He knows that if he doesn’t constantly find ways to make his show interesting, people like me will turn our attention elsewhere. He wants me to pay attention to the information that he is working hard to provide. That is the mark of a true capitalist.
Second, I understand that Mr. Varney overcome very modest beginnings to achieve the status he has achieve, and came to America to “escape European Socialism.” That is the second mark of a true capitalist. Unlike the picture that the Left likes to paint of the “idle rich,” a common thread among most genuine capitalists and advocates of capitalism is the notion of overcoming and persevering. They know how hard it is to be successful, how many obstacles and indignities must be borne, how many family dinners must be missed and how many late nights must be endured to have a chance at success.
It is not just a coincidence that there are two other conservative media personalities that have overcome--- Glenn Beck (whether you think he’s over the top or not) and Lawrence Kudlow. Beck overcame alcoholism to regain control over his life and Kudlow overcame substance abuse. Whether you agree with their views or not, both have gone on to become enormously successful conservative commentators.
That is a common conservative narrative—the notion of overcoming. Certainly, a handful of people are wealthy and successful by birth. But in America, most become successful by overcoming—overcoming poverty or modest roots, overcoming setbacks and sometimes your own demons, of being dismissed or excluded. But they persevere. By attempting to erect a Nanny State that will look after us and catch us if we fall no matter what, liberals rob us of two vital aspects of what it means to be human--- the need to constantly improve and the motivation to overcome and to persevere. Most of the great achievements involve those things. And if we stop rewarding people that seek to improve and to overcome and persevere, and we turn the “safety net” into a chaise lounge, we are dooming ourselves to a mediocre society, where nothing great is ever achieved. Worse, we are depriving ourselves of some of the most wonderful and inspirational stories that are part of what it means to be truly human.
I heard a successful Montana rancher recently say, “Most people divide the world into the Haves and the Have Nots; I divide the world into the Will Work and the Will Not Work.” My guess is that Mr. Varney would agree with this assertion.
