A Conservative Guide for Good Governance

Excerpt: A Conservative Guide for Good Governance

Kiki Bradley Heritage Foundation
November 10, 2011

Legislators at all levels face a challenge in making sure that their legislation and policies represent good governance which utilizes reason, common sense and first principles. Some common sense goals of politicians should be to limit the control of the government over individuals, allow flexibility for bureaucrats to meet measurable results and to terminate programs that fail to meet their stated goals. If politicians could employ some simple criteria, the government would work in a manner more consistent with the consent of the governed.

Below is a good, yet not comprehensive guide to protect the taxpayer through good governance.

First, the President of The Heritage Foundation, Ed Feulner, laid out some first principals for legislators in his book Getting America Right. The following six questions should be asked before a politician embarks on implementing an idea or creating legislation:

Is it the government’s business?
Does it promote self-reliance?
Is it responsible?
Does it make us more prosperous?
Does it make us safer?
Does it unify us?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, then the analysis of an idea should stop there.