Almost 800 people attended Hillsdale College’s National Leadership Seminar that was held in Bonita Springs, Fla., on Feb. 19 and 20.
The topic of the seminar was “Bureaucracy or Limited Government?” The featured speakers addressed topics ranging from religious freedom to property rights to the environment to health care.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was scheduled to speak on the night of Feb. 19, but was unable to attend. Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer took his place.
“[President Barack] Obama is not to be underestimated,” Krauthammer said. “Obama doesn’t want to be known as the first black president. Obama wants to be known as the man who changed the ideological trajectory of the United States.”
Russell Reno, editor of First Things, opened up the morning session on Feb. 20 with a speech entitled “Threats to Religious Liberty in the Public Square.”
Reno said a large contingency of “nones” — the people who check “none” next to religious affiliation — combined with a more consolidated core of believers has created an environment of tension in America’s religious sphere.
Reno said the rise of the “nones” puts religious freedom at risk because they call for a suppression of religious expression.
“The political reality of the ‘nones’ presents the greatest threat to religious liberty,” he said.
College President Larry Arnn wrapped up the morning session with a speech entitled “Property Rights in the Administrative State.” Arnn said that private property is a foundation of freedom.
“[Liberals think that] the ones who get ahead should help the ones who get behind. And the government is the vehicle to do that,” he said.
Ann McElhinney, journalist and filmmaker, and John Stossel of Fox News were the last two speakers of the program. McElhinney addressed environmental issues — such as fracking — in her speech “The Cost of a Global Warming Bureaucracy.”
Stossel, the closing act, tackled the issue of health care in his speech “Health Care: Market Solutions vs. Government Solutions.” He argued that a free market can better determine what health care system works best than any government solution could.
The next National Leadership Seminar will be held on May 22 and 23 in Seattle, Wash.