The Meaning and Nature of Conservatism: Part II

Do conservatives really hate government, or, to be specific, hate the United States' government? Well, if you ask any liberal, socialist, Marxist, Maoist, fascist, or progressivist, they would probably answer “yes” to that question. Leftists, and some "moderates" (which means "non-confrontational and indecisive"), love to say that conservatives want to cut social programs for the needy and disabled. They say that conservatives want to take away old people's Social Security and Medicare and force every poor old, lonely grandmother alive to eat dog food and die of cancer, which is crazy. Liberals and their friends think conservatives just want to build the military up only for the purpose of invading other nations in the name of “Big Oil”. Perhaps this is true of pseudo-conservatives, who are really progressive globalists posing as conservatives. No naming names, here, but most people could figure out who the pseudo-conservatives are (hint: they're often referred to as “RINOs”).

Here is fact: true conservatives do not hate government. Quite the contrary! In fact, conservatives probably realize the need for an organized system of government more than most people. We study government, and we take note of what works, and of what does not work. In other words, conservatives have an excellent recall of human history (not to mention a good helping of common sense). The only problem that true conservatives have with government is the scope, and, in effect, the size of government. Government was never meant to take care of us from the cradle to the grave. It was never intended to dictate our rights, but rather honor and defend the natural rights which each person in the United States is born with, rights endowed by God, the Creator, whom our Founding Fathers acknowledged and gave all the credit for our liberty.

Our national government has become too big and too powerful. Instead of being a government of the people, it has become a corporate entity of its own, not only separate from the people, but distant from the people. It fuels, and is fueled by, cronyism and corporatism, not capitalism. Our government has become corrupted by the greedy, by those who lust for more and more power. The United States government and its associated bureaucracies, everyday, tread deeply into the lives of every American, inhibiting the growth and well-being of every individual man, woman, and child in this country. Government was not meant to be an unfeeling, unthinking authoritarian machine that dictates what is right and wrong, constantly issuing orders for everyone to comply or else face serious consequences. Sadly, though, our nation's laws, mores, and traditions have been thrown by the wayside, and we have become a nation of victims, looking only to the almighty national leviathan for our daily bread.

True conservatives believe in limited government, a government restrained by those whom it is supposed to serve. The government should not shackle its citizens, but, rather, citizens should shackle the government. Government is supposed to serve us and our purposes, not the other way around like it is now. We only need as little government as is necessary to serve our common legitimate and purposeful functions, specifically those enumerated in the United States Constitution. We believe in the old adage that the government that governs best, is the government which governs least. We believe in individual liberty and individual rights, not the so-called rights of the government to intrude on people's lives whenever and wherever some bureaucrat decides. In other words, conservatives want to shrink the federal government, and return power to the states, to the counties, to the cities, and to the people, as our Founding Fathers intended when every single one of them signed our Constitution.

Ideally, government exists in order for people to govern themselves and their society effectively and efficiently. Government should not cost any more than is necessary to meets its assigned objectives. A good form of government allows citizens to bring their individual resources together so as to collectively allow themselves to do what they would have trouble doing otherwise. However, a good government also refrains from interfering in the lives of individuals unnecessarily, so as to allow for maximum personal responsibility and personal liberty. We, the true conservatives, want government to serve its intentional purpose, and nothing more.

The Meaning and Nature of Conservatism: Part I

'Conservative' and 'conservatism' are two related words often used, these days, to describe those people who do not identify as liberal, progressive, or even moderate or independent, and the related political and economic ideology to which those people adhere. Some Americans erroneously confuse the term 'conservative' with 'Republican', which is not necessarily the case. If conservatism is defined as a movement to maintain the status quo, then Republicans from 1856 until around 1968 cannot be considered to be conservatives. It was the Republican Party that erupted onto the political scene in 1856 and radically disrupted things, as they were, completely changing not only the southern United States and the lives of African-Americans and their descendants, but the entire direction of the United States as a nation, and the meaning and interpretation of its Constitution, as well. In that sense, the Republican Party consisted of the liberal and progressive thinkers, whereas the Democrat Party was the far more conservative of the two parties.

If conservatism is about maintaining a nation's political and social life as it is, then, is it basically based upon the same premises worldwide? We can look outside of the United States and find that conservative political parties, in name and not, are to be found all over the Western world. Canada has two primary parties: Labour and Conservative, the former being the more liberal or progressive of the two. England has their Conservative Party, and France has its 'Republicans', which is their most conservative party. It is funny, though, in a way, that Mexico's long-active Institutional Revolutionary Party, a name which not only implies liberalism and progressivism, but institutionalized dictatorial communism, could be considered conservative, if we go by the definition of conservatism mainly focusing on maintaining the status quo. The Communist Party in China could be considered conservative in many ways, since they are strictly focused on controlling the change in the country's economic status and maintaining it's powerful grip on regulating morality, as well as its citizens' social lives. Even the Worker's Party of Korea, the only legal party in North Korea, could be considered conservative in the sense that it's primary focus is to maintain the rule of the family of Kim Il Sung over the North Korean people, but liberal, in the sense, that its true aim is to reunite all of the Korean peninsula under communist rule. All of these things considered, it could be said, then, that what one country considers conservative, others may consider liberal or progressive.

Does all of this mean, then, that conservatism is merely about preventing change, or perhaps, fear of change? No, it does not. Change, as any sane, rational person would understand, is inevitable. What really matters is how the want for change comes about, how that change is implemented, and how rapidly a society changes. True conservatism is not about preventing social and economic change, but about regulating the pace and scope of change. Simply put, conservatives believe that change has to occur naturally. True, rational, reasonable conservatives realize that change will eventually occur, but it has to happen slowly, over a period of time, so as not to be disruptive to the political and economic system in which people live. Conservatives believe that rapid change causes environmental upheaval in an economic system. If change occurs too quickly, people do not have time to react and adapt to the change, which causes them economic harm. When the people of a society cannot adequately adapt to the rapid changes, political and economic disruption and upheaval occur. It is this political and economic disruption that conservatives seek to prevent.

An Appeal to my Fellow Conservatives

In 1992, I voted for Bill Clinton. It took me about one month into his term to regret my choice.

In 1996, I voted for Bob Dole. Let's not even go there.

In 2000, I voted for Pat Buchanan, who was one of the Reform Party candidates. Knowing what I know now about him, I'd have never voted for him.

In 2004, let's just say I voted against John Kerry.

In 2008, I voted against Barack Hussein Soetoro.

And, in 2012, I said to myself, "No more!" Never again would I vote for the least awful of the two most popular candidates. I voted for Virgil Goode, the Constitution Party candidate.

Why do I type all of this? Not a single vote, in the end, mattered. All that really mattered was that I used my best judgement, at the time, and exercised my right to vote in a public election. The Democrat and Republican parties have people so fooled into believing that they only have two choices- Democrat or Republican. Even so many alleged "independents" fall into this trap. It's like we're being told we can only pick Coke or Pepsi, knowing darn well that ice cold Dr. Pepper is in the same cooler.

We DO NOT have to choose between a Democrat and a Republican. There are many other choices on the ballot. Libertarian, Green, Constitution, even Communist. So many candidates, legitimate candidates, that don't get a lick of press coverage, because the mass media are in on the scam. They want us to fall for the scam, as well, that there are only two choices, and that is a damned lie.

Look around. Do your homework. Listen. Americans CAN make a difference. We CAN restore the power and authority to the people and to the states. Elect local officials that don't adhere to a party agenda, but listen to their constituency and act accordingly. Elect state officials that will fight for their states against the corrupt, bloated federal bureaucracy. Educate yourself about each candidate. Don't just listen to what the news media and party demagogues tell you. There is still time to stop the madness and turn this nation around, back to what it was intended, which is a constitutional republic based on personal liberties and state's rights. We were never meant to be what we have become, and we cannot sustain ourselves much longer. The alarm is sounding. Americans HAVE to wake up.