More Conservatism Needed

The following is a statement which I believe is wrong, but which, due to the propoganda of the "mainstream, drive-by media," is a widely held belief of many weak-minded people in this country:

[It is] "folly" [to believe] that Conservatism is in any way an advancement of the human condition. It is at best an attempt at status quo or as Webster defines it: "a resistance to change". But at its worst is represents de-evolution in the terms of the civilized world.

Here is my response, which friends have asked me to post. Enjoy.

I hate to say it, but [the author of the above comment] seems to be the one who is hung up on labels. Furthermore, [the author] appears to have bought into the leftist propaganda which denigrates Conservatism and demonizes it. The best example of Conservatism, as a philosophy and an idea, is represented by the South Pacific adage: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach that same man to fish and you feed him for life.” Modern American Conservatism promotes the ideals that we have more freedom when government is limited, when taxes are low, when the citizens are well educated, and when they are actively engaged and involved in the political process in their communities. It is grounded in the belief that the people should be self-determining and self-reliant, that the power is in the hands of the citizens, not the government, and that this country is great because ordinary people have the freedom to do extraordinary things that benefit themselves and, ultimately, society as a whole. It is grounded in the belief that freedom provides opportunities which the individual must take or go after. Opportunity is not given by government. Modern Conservatism is based on the idea that God has blessed us with talents that we are free to use to better ourselves and our families, and that if we take advantage of those talents and the freedom God has granted us, we will be further blessed with God’s bounty.

The progressive (i.e., socialistic or communistic) view is that government is the source of all things; that people cannot take care of themselves without the government doing it for them; that those that have more must have it confiscated to make it fair; that equal results are more important than equal opportunity; and that bigger government is better.

I have worked in government and I have worked in an industry regulated highly by government. I discovered very quickly that government produces nothing but bureaucracy and paperwork, that there is no incentive to do a good job and that there is no accountability to do a more efficient or better job. I also realized that the more the government regulates, the less free the citizens are, and that the more government regulates, the more expensive things become.

Conservatism is not bad. It is the nature of some people, who act only out of greed or evil or bad intentions, that is bad. Big government does not change human nature. Rather, big government promotes the worst of human nature. Big government represents the lust for power, for power’s sake. Big government promotes greed and corruption, because there is no fiscal accountability. Big government promotes laziness and sloth, because there is no incentive to do anything better, more efficiently, or more cost effectively. Big government destroys human dignity and self-determination. Big government destroys individuality, because the only thing that matters is the number of people “served” not how well they are served. Big government promotes reliance rather than independence.

Big government did not settle the land west of the Appalachian Mountains after the Revolutionary War. Individuals settled those lands. Individuals went over those mountains, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. They went on their own. And they basically took with them the Bible, an ax, and a gun. They built communities on their own, without government involvement. Only after enough people settled in an area were governments established. The pioneering spirit was carried by individuals. Big Government would have quashed the desire to move west to better one’s life. Big Government did not create a nation that in a very short time became the most powerful, most wealthy, and most free that has ever existed in the history of man. It was ordinary people who had the freedom to pursue their dreams and who did extraordiary things that created this nation. Big Government would have destroyed this country's extraordinary growth.

While they use the words freedom and liberty incessantly, the liberals, leftists, and progressives are not interested in the individual or in freedom. They are only interested in using government to force people to live their lives the way they think they should live them. Liberals, leftists, and progressives cannot be hypocrites, because they have no standards or morals to measure their actions against. Progressives (who are nothing more than socialists and communists) believe that those who have more must have gotten it by cheating or by taking from others, and that government must be the tool to confiscate these ill-gotten goods and re-distribute the wealth. They believe that most of us are too stupid to know what is good for us, so government must direct us. Progressives believe that security is more important than freedom, and that government must provide that security to the individual, from cradle to grave.

As a conservative, I do not want the government in my life. I want to be left alone by government to pursue my own dreams and goals. You may not like my dreams and goals, or you may not agree with them, but it is not government’s job or responsibility to tell me what my dreams and goals should be. Furthermore, it is not your job or responsibility to judge the value of my dreams and goals. Freedom means that God gave me the right to pursue my self-determined dreams and goals, unfettered by government scrutiny or control.

God Bless you. God Bless the BSA. God Bless our Troops. God Bless America (the greatest nation that has ever existed in the history of man).

Patriot Mark