William and Tom thanks for the thoughtful replies. In re-reading Weyrich’s original piece, I noticed how he criticizes conservatives who only concern themselves with economics, as though economics had nothing to do with the parts of the conservative agenda unrelated to tax cuts or regulatory reform. Weyrich overlooks the Austrian insight that economics involves all spheres of life because the laws of economics instruct us on the best ways to achieve our goals, whether they are to “grow the economy” or “strengthen the family.” Thus, if the social conservatives spent some time on Mises.org they would learn that protectionism and other forms of economic interventionism will actually weaken the family.

Also, William, I did not notice any Wal-Mart bashing by Weyrich, although Wal-Mart is a popular target of some conservatives. As I have previously remarked Wal-Mart is far from a prefect example of a pure market phenomenon. However, it is a little odd that so-called pro-family conservatives would attack an outfit that has benefited American families both by lowering prices and making shopping less time consuming. Just like leftists love mankind but hate real people, some conservatives hate real families that fail to live up to the conservative ideal.