Victor Davis Hanson wrote a wonderful-fun article called Ten Random, Politically Incorrect Thoughts. You'll enjoy reading it. It summarizes the accumulation of social disasters in the past half century.
Hanson's article follows from Classical Conservative thought but not from a Pro Commerce perspective. That distinction is what makes the article particularly interesting to me.
Hanson finds social harm in the
educational curriculum changes that have moved away from the
traditional model over the past forty years, particularly in the imposition of special studies
departments of minorities and women. He also finds social damage from
the environmental movement's imposition of EIRs, (environmental impact
reports) that slow down everything and stop much.
The pro commerce position has little to say about the traditional curriculum issue that Hanson raises and bemoans. Hanson argues that minorities and women are harmed by the incompetence of the academic material and the ideological narrowness. On the plus side, commerce benefits immensely from a diverse population in the workforce. If that is aided by special minority and women's studies, all the better. If the traditional curriculum generated more entrepreneurs or more resourceful employees then the loss of the traditional curriculum would be a loss for a commercial society. However, I have no evidence on either of these points...and remain neutral.
On the other-hand
environmental impact reports have been very harmful to commerce and
consequently to society. I have personally watched three big and
beneficial commercial projects destroyed, eviscerated or badly hobbled
by EIRs. I have also seen half a dozen projects that bribed their way
around EIRs. The level of secrecy involved in bribery is harmful to
commerce.
I think EIRs cost hundreds of billions of dollars annually and trillions cumulatively in lost productivity but we have no studies to examine their impact. I would guess that less than five swallows, four bats and three hummingbirds have been saved by EIRs.
A pro commerce position would first demand a national accounting of the harm and benefits of EIRs. I suspect that the harm is astronomically high and the benefits meager or non-existent.
Pro commerce sympathises with Victor Davis Hanson on the plight of the modern curriculum but remains neutral on its effects. Pro commerce joins Hanson in condemning EIRs and we jointly beg for relief from environmental impact fraud.