Free Cities for a Free Country

National Review Online posted a series of articles where a group of their writers responded to Newt Gingrich and Ken Hagerty's proposed Free Cities concept to promote economic growth and opportunity in Third World Countries while subverting global terror. The articles in response to the Free Cities concept touch on a number good points about feasibility of such Free Cities and they site examples such as Hong Kong and Macau. However, I feel they are missing the elephant in the room.

The key to economic success, free enterprise, opportunity and freedom supporting government, in short, American founding principles, lies in small regional governments and small regional economies with relative levels of fair trade between them.  The model of the United States pre-World War I, pre- globalism, is a model for success.  It is a model that the United States needs to re-examine for themselves for their own salvation.  A return of power to the states with a small federal government to maintain relations between the states and provide for the common defense will return us to a country of general stability and local prosperity and innovation.  Economies of scale result in crisis's of scale .  Governments of scale produce bad policies and corruption of scale.  Sometimes bigger is not better.

Further, as a country we need to embrace the concept of imitation being the highest form of flattery.  Forcing our values and beliefs upon others, no matter how noble the intention is un-American.  It goes against everything we stand for.  Freedom is more than just free enterprise and free speech.  America was founded on a belief in freedom of religion, values, and lifestyle.  If we truly wish to uphold those beliefs than it means we must embrace the fact that other parts of the world, other cultures, other religions, have different values, different lifestyles, different cultures that may be counter to our own freedom loving one and that while it may be more restrictive, the people living there may actually like it that way.  The highest most noble goal we as a country can have is to re-build the best, most free, most innovative, most prosperous land of opportunity and stand as a beacon to the world.  Those who embrace and love our ideals will once again flock to us, not to leach but to share their skills and obtain for themselves the success that freedom and opportunity permits.  And others will once again see our greatness and seek to emulate it in their own societies.  Other's still will not and our respect for that choice will earn at minimum mutual respect where as our imperialism, our missionary acts to force our values on others have bred hatred and contempt.

In short, the United States must embrace the concept of Free Cities within their own borders once more and by doing so will encourage Free Cities throughout the world while encouraging mutual respect.  In turn, mutual respect is the highest form of counter terrorism we could ever hope to achieve.