Anthony D Dolpies
07-05-2009, 11:21 PM
While listening to a radio show I heard a caller pose an interesting question that touched on the radio host berating liberal faith in government, the caller asking, why conservatives have faith in business, when business' do things like lay people off after many years of service. The host addressed the historical and current litany of big government failures & liberal programs. I believe the host missed the boat on this one, he had a chance to define conservatisim to someone who had been fed nothing but the left wing mantra.
For to long now conservatives and liberals have been linked to the politics pertaining to either democrats or republicans. The national media has been allowed to characterize these two philosophies based on false pretenses. I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight. Let us look at John F. Kennedy, this was one of our more conservative presidents in recent history. Kennedy sought to reign in the federal reserve, cut taxes including the capitol gains tax, Kennedy knew believed that the individual was a better steward of his money and that a healthy investor class was a crucial part of a strong economy. Kennedy was a hawk on defense and was extremely anti-communist. (makes you wonder what happened to Ted) Let's not forget his most famous tag line "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." So in just about about every way JFK a democrat was more conservative than either Bush forty-one or forty-three. I grew up in, and still reside in Philadelphia, a democrat stronghold. almost all of my neighbors are democrats, however the larger percentage of these people are not liberals. Many of them are vehemently opposed to welfare programs, abortion, and I meet very few people who really feel good about the idea of raising taxes on anybody. It is safe to say that being a conservative has little to do with being a republican or democrat in as much as they are the most popular political parties of the day.
So what or even better, who is the American conservative? It is true, the American conservative is sckeptical of and distrusts government. He believes in the adage that "government is best which governs least", that law should not impede ones liberty, or be crafted to confiscate his property, or for the purpose of catering to the changing attitudes, whims or agendas of constituents or legislators. The conservative does not trust business in so much as he trusts human nature. He understands that a person is more likely to provide honest service and good products when motivated by the profits and incentives of repeat patronage. He also does not expect everyone to be on the level in regard to honesty and integrity.
On social issues I once read an article by that summed things up real well. "Big government is not a fiscal issue: these programs are not wrong because there unaffordable, there unaffordable because there wrong. They are just not the proper role of government." The conservative believes that government should be managed morally, government should not and can not manage morality. When government bureaucracy is formed to engineer a social or moral outcome they become vehicles for corruption and waste. When these programs are instituted by government they have devastating unintended consequences on society. A good example of this is the community re-investment act. The consequences of which we are dealing with today. It was Thomas Jefferson who said "there is no act' however virtuous, for which ingenuity may not find some bad motive." The conservative is not heartless, or mean spirted, statistics show time and time again that people who identify themselves as conservatives give larger percentages of their income to charity than those who identify themselves as liberals. He does not have a problem assisting hard working individual for a period of time if that person has fallen on hard times. But it is Crucial that we do not foster a system of dependency and an ever expanding welfare state. This only empowers government and causes a recession of liberty.
Freedom of religion does not mean freedom from it. The first amendment forbids not just the government endorsement of a particular religion, but forbids any law that prohibits the free exercise of it. So If a group of children who attend a public school want to pray privately it is unconstitutional for the school administration to say they are not allowed.
The conservative understands that along with the greatness of humanity comes the bad. Racism, injustice, crime and all the other dark aspects of the human experience are realities that only contact, economic interaction, communication and real education can reduce. I say reduce because human nature will never allow any measure of law or politically correct language to eliminate them. For Example If red ink is deemed to be traumatizing and substituted with purple, eventually purple becomes red.
The conservative understands that the natural state of man, freedom, is always in conflict with governments ever present capacity for expansion. We must keep a watch full eye, limiting this leviathan at every opportunity, so as to not extinguish the rare flame of liberty.
Anthony D Dolpies
http://conservativerepublic.org
For to long now conservatives and liberals have been linked to the politics pertaining to either democrats or republicans. The national media has been allowed to characterize these two philosophies based on false pretenses. I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight. Let us look at John F. Kennedy, this was one of our more conservative presidents in recent history. Kennedy sought to reign in the federal reserve, cut taxes including the capitol gains tax, Kennedy knew believed that the individual was a better steward of his money and that a healthy investor class was a crucial part of a strong economy. Kennedy was a hawk on defense and was extremely anti-communist. (makes you wonder what happened to Ted) Let's not forget his most famous tag line "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." So in just about about every way JFK a democrat was more conservative than either Bush forty-one or forty-three. I grew up in, and still reside in Philadelphia, a democrat stronghold. almost all of my neighbors are democrats, however the larger percentage of these people are not liberals. Many of them are vehemently opposed to welfare programs, abortion, and I meet very few people who really feel good about the idea of raising taxes on anybody. It is safe to say that being a conservative has little to do with being a republican or democrat in as much as they are the most popular political parties of the day.
So what or even better, who is the American conservative? It is true, the American conservative is sckeptical of and distrusts government. He believes in the adage that "government is best which governs least", that law should not impede ones liberty, or be crafted to confiscate his property, or for the purpose of catering to the changing attitudes, whims or agendas of constituents or legislators. The conservative does not trust business in so much as he trusts human nature. He understands that a person is more likely to provide honest service and good products when motivated by the profits and incentives of repeat patronage. He also does not expect everyone to be on the level in regard to honesty and integrity.
On social issues I once read an article by that summed things up real well. "Big government is not a fiscal issue: these programs are not wrong because there unaffordable, there unaffordable because there wrong. They are just not the proper role of government." The conservative believes that government should be managed morally, government should not and can not manage morality. When government bureaucracy is formed to engineer a social or moral outcome they become vehicles for corruption and waste. When these programs are instituted by government they have devastating unintended consequences on society. A good example of this is the community re-investment act. The consequences of which we are dealing with today. It was Thomas Jefferson who said "there is no act' however virtuous, for which ingenuity may not find some bad motive." The conservative is not heartless, or mean spirted, statistics show time and time again that people who identify themselves as conservatives give larger percentages of their income to charity than those who identify themselves as liberals. He does not have a problem assisting hard working individual for a period of time if that person has fallen on hard times. But it is Crucial that we do not foster a system of dependency and an ever expanding welfare state. This only empowers government and causes a recession of liberty.
Freedom of religion does not mean freedom from it. The first amendment forbids not just the government endorsement of a particular religion, but forbids any law that prohibits the free exercise of it. So If a group of children who attend a public school want to pray privately it is unconstitutional for the school administration to say they are not allowed.
The conservative understands that along with the greatness of humanity comes the bad. Racism, injustice, crime and all the other dark aspects of the human experience are realities that only contact, economic interaction, communication and real education can reduce. I say reduce because human nature will never allow any measure of law or politically correct language to eliminate them. For Example If red ink is deemed to be traumatizing and substituted with purple, eventually purple becomes red.
The conservative understands that the natural state of man, freedom, is always in conflict with governments ever present capacity for expansion. We must keep a watch full eye, limiting this leviathan at every opportunity, so as to not extinguish the rare flame of liberty.
Anthony D Dolpies
http://conservativerepublic.org