No; history proves me “plain right”. FDR’s creeping socialism starting with so-called “social security”, then Johnson’s Medicare (and worse, including the 1965 amendments to SS that essentially created Medicaid) have created cultures of dependency and entitlement, and not a thing about them even required before their institution; they are not even “safety nets” but Ponzi schemes. All designed as attacks on the family, and also on the economy; not to mention to increase the power of the federal government.
As for money, take note that its coining was a power solely given to Congress, and there was no impetus to imitate the British Empire by creating a central bank. And to be utterly frank, governments are not needed to create money and/or its value: take note of Bitcoin.
I am not arguing that Social Security and Medicare, etc. are not socialistic.
But how do they fit with anything I have described? Neither program has any real budget. Both give means tested benefits.
Conservatives need to have viable proposals to replace the socialistic programs in place today. These will never fly if they do not provide a path to independence and prosperity for those who currently are dependent on the government. The only other way is to fight a costly civil war. And that will be far more expensive than even the massive government freebies being dolled out today.
“governments are not needed to create money and/or its value: take note of Bitcoin”
Government must exist to regulate commerce and protect the ownership of property. It does not matter if the currency is gold, government-backed notes, or bitcoin.
The problem is NOT government. The problem is corruption. During our lifetimes our government has been derelict of duty. Instead of protecting property rights it has engaged in theft. Instead of equitable regulations, politicians have created laws designed to enrich themselves, and consolidate and perpetuate power.
Conservatives must be educated and articulate enough to promote alternative solutions that work. Otherwise we will remain stuck with the status quo.