Freedom Conservatism is a response to the deepest fractures in the center-right political movement since at least the Cold War. The principles of Freedom Conservatism answer the question, “What do we believe?”

The term doesn’t exclude liberty-minded folk, but it is at odds with illiberalism and postliberalism, whose adherents cozy up to authoritarianism, populism and collectivism.

My friend John Hood of North Carolina, a leader in the State Policy Network, spearheaded the Freedom Conservative statement and asked me to join its signatories.

Here is a condensed version of those principles.

I believe in these principles, which represent what the Mackinac Center has always stood for:

1. Liberty. Among Americans’ most fundamental rights is freedom from arbitrary force. Political freedom cannot long exist without economic freedom.


2. The pursuit of happiness. Most individuals are happiest in communities where parents are free to engage in meaningful work and raise children according to their values.


3. The foundation of prosperity. Free enterprise, with competitive markets, individual choice and free trade, is the foundation of prosperity. We commit to reducing the cost of living by fighting government intervention and private cronyism.


4. Full faith and credit. Skyrocketing federal debt threatens all Americans. We commit to fiscal sustainability for a more prosperous and secure nation.


5. A nation of laws, not men. Equality under the law is under attack by unaccountable and unelected regulators who exceed their statutory authority and abridge Americans’ rights. The president should nominate policymakers and judges committed to upholding these rights.


6. Americans by choice. Immigration is a principal driver of American prosperity and achievement. America is exceptional because anyone can seek to live in America and become an American.


7. Out of many, one. A diverse nation like the United States is endangered when too many decisions lie in the hands of centralized authorities. The Constitution is the best arrangement for granting government just authority while leaving many policy choices to families and communities.


8. America’s promissory note. Martin Luther King Jr. described the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence as containing “magnificent words … a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.” Prior to 1964, segregation was enforced by state governments and, in many cases, by the federal government. Many who descend from victims of this system now face economic and personal hurdles. We commit to expanding opportunity for those who face challenges due to past government restrictions. We adamantly oppose racial discrimination in all its forms.


9. The shining city on a hill. American foreign policy must be judged by one criterion above all: its service to the just interests of the United States. Americans are safest and freest in a peaceful world, led by the United States.


10. Freedom of conscience. Freedom to say and think what one believes is essential. Federal and state governments have a legal obligation to protect these freedoms. Private institutions have a moral obligation to do the same.

(See the full version at FreedomConservatism.org.)

You can count on the Mackinac Center to uphold and advance these principles in Michigan and beyond.