The "distributist" theorists Chesterton and Belloc imagined that economic interventionism could make life easier and more free. Yet their proposed system is neither moral nor practical.
Patrick Deneen not only misunderstands John Stuart Mill, but he also misunderstands libertarians, claiming they are elitists who believe the world should be ruled by experts.
One of the standard doctrines of mainstream economics is that the assumptions of a model do not have to reflect reality. Austrian economics vociferously disagrees.
Rational choice theory claims that people in the political realm act in their own self-interest. However, in today's political climate, many people act against their own interests to avoid being attacked by others.
Patrick Deneen writes that the nonaggression principle promotes a liberalism that is harmful to society, as evidenced by John Stuart Mill's idea of the tyranny of public opinion.
Like so many others in the "national greatness" movement, Christopher Buskirk understands some of the problems the country faces but fails to grasp the solutions.