Hawley Sounds Like He Has Too Much Faith in Government

The sails of Sen. Josh Hawley's political skiff are filled with winds gusting from the right. They come from conservatives who think that an array of — perhaps most of — America's social injuries, from addiction to loneliness — have been inflicted by America's economy. Individualism, tendentiously defined, is the Missouri Republican's named target. Inevitably, however, the culprit becomes capitalism, which is what individual freedom is in a market society's spontaneous order.
In a November speech to like-minded social conservatives of the American Principles Project, Hawley said: “We live in a troubled age.” Not pausing to identify a prior, untroubled age, he elaborated: “Across age groups and regions, across races and income, the decline in community is undeniable. But it is not accidental.” Well.