A. 2nd strand of modern conservatism
    1. different elements of historical conservatism than libertarianism
    2. began to evolve in 1960's
    3. strongest  wave in 1980's
 B. greatest problem in U.S.-- growth of government
   1. libertarianism--loss of individual freedom and choice
   2. communitarianism--break-down of community structures, civil society

C. How?
     1. govt policies too neutral & impersonal on morality issues

      a. separation of church and state in constitution
          1. built-in govt tolerance toward personal morality
          2. strong social controls in place during Locke's era

      b. modern breakdown of traditional institutions
      c. allows for too much tolerance of social deviance & immorality
         1. destructive to culture and community values
         2. justified under 1st Amendment grounds
         3. ex. flag-burning

        d. too much focus on rights and not on responsibilities/obligations

     e. too secular, not spiritual
        1. no moral compass used in public policy

            2. measure policy by effects on community
                  a. ex. Alabama tax policy (article)
                  b. "faith-based" initiatives (federal level)

        3. keeping God out of schools & govt. mistake
           a. example: no nativity scenes allowed on govt. properties
           b. public schools cannot celebrate Xmas- favoring one religion over another
           c. denies important  group identity

 2. govt policies help weaken traditional family
   a. "no fault" divorce (ex).
   b. encourages women  to move into workplace/military
     1. too much emphasis on equality
     2. ignores natural differences between sexes
     3. individualism before family needs
   c. current drive to expand definition of family
     1. ex. domestic partner benefits, gay marriage
     2. straying too far from traditional structure
            a. "unintended consequences"

3. govt take-over of community functions weakens private communities
   a. before "New Deal" and "Great Society", private communities
   b. ppl cared for locally
     1. churches, neighbors, charities, local govts.
     2. volunteerism is better

  c personal giving strengthens community
     1. reinforces personal obligation & responsibilities to others
     2. norm of reciprocity
     3. govt. distribution breaks down sense of obligation
        a. leads to atomistic society
         1. rootlessness, and alienation
         2. ppl vulnerable to totalitarianism (Hannah Arendt)
          a. need for civil society to mediate between govt & individual
          b. cult example

   D. ideal society
    1. limited government
         a. only what civil society cannot do, not replacement
         b. public-private partnerships
     
    2. limits on market forces, in deference in needs of community
         a. individual negative liberty, second to strength of community
         b.focus on responsibilities of  corporations to community
         c. lay-offs damage community structure
     d. supports voluntary campaign spending limits
        1. too much money prevents full participation, corruption
        2. every individual has equal worth/deserves representation

   3. local control of policies
    a. assume diversity between communities
    b. consensus within communities
    c. Amish -classic example of communitarian society
         1. community-based economy
         2. strict membership rules enforced by leaders
         3.violation of rules means expulsion (shunning)

   d. complementary roles (analogy of family)
     1. everyone contributes what they are able to
     2. everyone receives what they need
     3. no social security paid or received

  e. community values come before individual freedom
     1. in return, get to be member of close-knit community
     2. identity comes from group membership

6. return traditional morality to public policy
   a. character-based education  "virtue"
   b.  community-based criminal justice system
       1. recognition of rights of victims
       2. need for repentence recognized
   c. historical conflicts solved by reconciliation
       1. ex. slave reparations
       2. Jubilee 2000 campaign "forgive the debt"  Jubilee
   d. national service initiative  usa

7. weaken separation of church & state
   a. Missouri judge who displays 10 commandments in court (example)
     b. "moment of silence" instituted in schools
   c. Judeo-Christian religious values implicit in culture of nation
         1. ex. Lieutenant General Boykin should not be punished for remarks
         2. faith-based organizations should get financial support
             a. counselors in Wisconsin prisons, (paid by state money)

8. encourage volunteerism to restore sense of community
   a. impulse is still there
     1. post 9/11 behavior, Wayawega petfeed
     2. Habitat for Humanity

E. criticism of  unregulated capitalism
   1. contrast w/ libertarian view
       a. market ensures freedom and efficiency for citizens
       b. competition allows excellent individual to succeed
            c. innovation and change are expected & regulated by "marketplace of Ideas"
         ex. conflict over stem cell research, cloning

   2. communitarian view
     a. capitalism contributes to materialism over spiritualism boycott world bank
     b.  workings of market in late capitalist society
       1. constructed demand
       2. planned obsolescence

  c. emphasis on happiness defined through material wealth
     1. expense of family culture
        a. material goods not time, given to family
        b. increase in 2-income couples hurts family structure

  d. capitalist market celebrates individual selfishness & greed
     1. commodity thinking  (Xmas example)
     2. "throw away" society including ppl
     3. ppl judged by earnings, not moral worth
        a. some things are lost in competition of market
          1. small businesses contribute to community
          2. economic support for community values
          3. not best for society when driven out by competition
   
       b. small industries support fabric of society

        1. family farmers non-competitive 
        2. great cultural loss if driven out of business
        3. way of life will be gone, too

  E. Pat Buchanan- moratorium on immigration
     1. drawn here by market
        a. shortage of  technical workers
        b. shortage of  unskilled labor
    2. concerned that American cultural values compromised
    3. national sovereignty threatened

G. communitarian concern over neglect of employer's obligations to employees
     1. historical con: spirit of chivalry, spirit of religion
     2. owners often unwilling  to meet obligations to workers
        a. example:  corporations relocate in 3rd world nations, destabilize communities      
    3. moral dimension should be present in all interactions, not just private ones

 H. communitarian values cross the liberal- conservative spectrum
    a. left communitarians- environmental movement, foreign aid (social justice)
    b. ex. Joe Lieberman
    c.current debate over products made in sweatshops, child labor, sex trafficking

 I. right communitarians
   1. after 1980, formation of Moral Majority
   2. pivotal issue was abortion
   3. make govt policies reflect Judeo-Christian beliefs
      a. traditionally, the values held at founding of nation
      b.govt. should restrict neg. liberty of some, to assert moral beliefs of community
      c. Communitarians: community comes before individual

 4. Christian Coalition is contemporary form
   a. strong political involvement at all levels of politics

  b. local--school boards (major influence)
    1.institutions should reinforce moral values
       a. not marketplace of ideas (libertarian ideas)
       b. instead, culture should reflect good values
       c. emphasis needs to be on reinforcement of trad. family & church

I. Value priorities for communitarianism
    1. community-private, homogeneous, group with shared values and mutual obligations toward members. (most important)

   2. freedom: positive freedom (free to enjoy the benefits of membership in the community)

   3. equality: each person has equal moral worth, but within community, principle of complementarity (ppl fill the role they are best suited for).

  4. justice: every member contributes what they are able and receives what they need from the community.

  5. individual negative liberty: least important value.
       a. reflects lack of maturity
       b. lack of concern for community values

Problems w/ Communitarianism
1. Communitarianism assumes homogeneous society. Is this the case?

2. Will a group-based solution work in a society so strongly grounded in individual freedom?

3. Can private institutions take over all the functions of welfare state? Aren't the problems too big not to need government assistance?

4. How difficult is to create legitimate change in a communitarian society?

What the neo-liberal focus on rights, markets and self-interest decision making of utilitarian individuals misses is the communitarian idea of attachments and sharing of civil society.

For the communitarians we enter a world of shared institutions that shape our social identity and desires. We find that our fate is tied up with that of the institution, that we are dependent on others and we share a world of common meanings.

This idea of community provides a basis to counter neo-liberalism.