Leslie Carbone is a throwback to an earlier time, but an intelligent and informed throwback, showing us by example what too many in America have lost in terms of attitude, drive, and self-confidence.

At the Defending America's Dream Summit in Washington, D.C., I had the chance to interview Leslie Carbone, the author of Slaying Leviathan, the Moral Case for Tax Reform. With that title, I just had to interview her.

Ms. Carbone's Amazon.com profile states: "Leslie Carbone served as the director of Family Tax Policy at the Family Research Council, chief of staff to the late assemblyman Gil Ferguson of California, and a speechwriter for U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao."

Carbone's main argument is that following a moral tax and behavior code leads to productivity and success which the government takes, whereas following a leftist tax and morally relative behavior code rewards bad habits that will lead to financial and personal problems. In short, our tax code now punishes good behavior and rewards bad behavior.

Released in August 2009 and published by Potomac Books, this book cannot be found at a major bookstore in Manhattan, only at their online sites. But one can easily find Assassination Nation by Sarah Vowell in Manhattan's major bookstores. In contrast, this book about the assassination of three Republican Presidents and visits to historic sites connected to them diverges into a discussion on page 80 (the first page I opened in a store) into a sympathetic argument for teenage Iraqi terrorists to be freed from Guantanamo Bay. One gets the impression this 2006 book's author was wishing for, but not necessarily stating, that it would be great if George Bush were assassinated. But I digress.

Asking Ms. Carbone about the current political situation, she replied with a moral argument that we are robbing Peter to pay Paul – and Paul has no virtue. I would add that people who get something they know they didn't earn have a defensiveness and guilt, as if they are less worthy than those who can earn that reward.

At this point I started to play Devil's advocate, thinking that Ms. Carbone was "preaching to the (conservative) choir" with her book, and started asking her about those who would disparage her ideas upon first hearing them as "square, old fashioned, moralistic." Asking how she would address the skeptics of her viewpoint, she graciously replied. However, upon reflection, I owe Ms. Carbone an apology, not because the point isn't valid, but for thinking that this negative attitude is limited to liberals or those receiving government assistance or subsidies of any kind.

Today our culture is so bombarded with liberal assumptions from schools to media to even many houses of worship, that many of the concepts Americans used to assume were the community norm are now being undermined even in the homes of those with traditional values. People are ashamed to say "Merry Christmas" to a store clerk, yet stores carry books like Assassination Nation.

Getting back to the issue of those people who dismiss Ms. Carbone's argument out of  hand, we discussed radio talk show host Herman Cain's speech earlier in the day where he voiced his three-part test to tell if someone will even acknowledge reason in arguments vs. embracing a purely emotional political position. We also discussed those moderates and squishy conservatives who are reachable by a well thought out argument.

Ms. Carbone categorized these two groups respectively as the Incapable and the Unwilling. She stated that as for the Incapable (of listening or improving themselves without the government) she felt – as a Christian – that we have a moral responsibility to care for them via charities directed by churches and the surplus funds generated by the private sector. As for the Unwilling, Carbone stated they have been spoon-fed "someone owes you a living" and yet they can be educated to not think that way.

"My book sets a standard. Do our (current) policies bring us any closer to that?"

Recounting American History from the Stamp Act through the Bush bailout in her book, Carbone summarized it all by saying that what government does is seize property.

"Virtuous behavior creates wealth. You can see decent people fail, but in general, they succeed." She added, "Many think that government is better than people. I say to them that you're better than that."

"Government is our biggest obstacle. If we roll Leviathan [big government] back, people will prosper. Two hundred years ago George Washington defeated the greatest military power in the world. Our challenges aren't that great."

In our conversation, I brought up two examples of how negative attitudes toward struggling to succeed are enforced in our popular culture. The first was the opening line from the 1960s hit song "It's My Life" by the English group, The Animals. It begins, as you may know, with the words, "It's a hard world to get a break in, all the good things have been taken." The  second example comes from someone of my religious background, namely a 1980s comedy album by Jackie Mason, where he facetiously states, "There isn't one Jew who doesn't know of a house he could have bought for one dollar — but those Nazi bastards talked him out of it. And now it's worth a million dollars. Ask the man why doesn't he buy something else now, he says (cries out is more accurate), It's too late!" Author Carbone was not familiar specifically with either of the two illustrations, but characterized those with these chronic attitudes as the "professionally aggrieved."

Parrying my negative examples, Ms. Carbone went on to recall the woman who told Senator Arlen Spector that, "You have awakened a sleeping giant" and cited the example in front of us, the people who gave up a weekend to come to a conference to stand and say, "Enough. These people are offended that our charities won't be approved and that we now (supposedly) need government management. They are taking from everyone."

Carbone went on to say that, "If it [the liberal-conservative debate] were about logic, there is no fight. Children come into the world and parents teach them. If they are not nurtured over twenty years, they will remain dependent and will look for someone or something else to take care of them. We are barraged by messages in school about government taking care of us." She also had an insight into religious people who expect Divine aid to replace effort, calling these "inappropriate expectations of God."

Asking Ms. Carbone her sense of things now as the result of her observations in traveling about the country, she replied, "I'm so encouraged." Citing the Bush and Paulson bailout, and now followed by the Obama administration actions, she said, "We don't want this nannyism. A year ago we didn't have this reaction. Obama claims he is going to save the banking industry and the car industry. The more he tries, the more people don't believe. I've spoke at the July 4^th Tea Party on Capitol Hill to 2,000 people. Then there were all those people on September 12^th.  If you told me that this October conference would have happened (estimated crowd of 3,000), I would not believe you."

Continuing her optimistic theme, Carbone said that she had been pushed too far and that we are at a critical point where we can roll Leviathan (big government) back.

"It won't be easy, be we can do it."

For all our sakes, I hope she is right. She is the best and most articulate cheerleader in the country – and I'm glad she's cheering and teaching history and moral economic behavior for the conservatives.

In certain ways, Leslie Carbone is a throwback to an earlier time, but an intelligent and informed throwback, showing us by example what too many in America have lost in terms of attitude, drive, and self-confidence. This is a woman who wants to win and wants America to win. And no one ever became a winner in this country without that.

P.S. I just received a copy of Ms. Carbone's book from Amazon. It is well written, starting with an analysis of tax policy in American History. The later part deals with the morality of our so-called progressive tax system, which is really a pun because it is progressive in its taking larger amounts of money from the wealthier citizenry. Carbone has the audacity to call progressive taxation institutionalization of human envy, a character fault. She is absolutely right. I don't think any politician could phrase it that way without insulting at least 40 percent of their voters.

Once again, she calls for the return in our country to individual responsibility. As corny as that may sound to many leftists and moderates, there are no monies available for the grand schemes of the Obama administration. There are people who believe this money can be magically printed, but when they go to the store and find that everything costs more, they realize that perhaps they have literally made a deal with the devil.

Listening to CNN in an internet cafe last week, even that network admitted that the Republicans could win back the House.

People may not phrase their understanding of the world in the terms of Ms. Carbone, but they know they can't live and spend like teenagers on spring break with their parents' gold credit card – and neither can their government.