Post by Rob W. Case on Oct 13, 2009 1:47:46 GMT -6
Many times, I feel that there is a vital need to bring certain subjects and ideas down to earth for detailed examination. Too many times, there are fundamental truths that people either skew, or demonize to a point that its roots are almost unidentifiable. They do this because they do not want people like you and me to be aware of the powers and rights we actually have. If we the people are unaware of our rights and powers and are completely ignorant of our civic duty to maintain these fundamental truths, then it will be easier to trick us into giving them up completely. Workers who want those roots destroyed attempt to deface the truths connected to them and in their pursuits to deface them, they try their hardest to make those truths appear undesirable so that when people are exposed to them again, they are either turned off, hate, or see a threat in what is the counterfeit image that they think is actually the root itself.
American Conservatism is comprised of these vitally important fundamentals.
1. God
2. The American Constitution
3. An individual’s right to own property
4. An individual’s right to prosper.
5. Loyalty to one’s individual nation.
For decades, Americans have been psychologically conditioned to believe that such virtues are, in their words “Neanderthal,” “old fashioned,” and/or “outdated,” and that they are embraced by (and this is in their own words) ignorant, narrow minded people who are afraid of change. In newspapers, magazines, television, movies, and every form of media, this type of thinking has been encouraged. In the 1970’s the fictional Archie Bunker character was iconic in trying to push this image. Archie Bunker was a character that was intended to portray conservatives as racist, sexist, bigoted, homophobes. When Conservatism rebounded after four years of fierce liberalism in action brought upon by a heavily Liberal Democrat President (Jimmy Carter) and a liberal Democrat Congress, the media took over as the main source of demonizing Conservatism brought out by Ronald Reagan (who once was a liberal Democrat) by attempting to bring to the American people’s attention things that made the President look bad, as well as ignoring news stories that would make him appear favorable. In other words, to really appreciate Ronald Reagan you had to simply observe your surroundings and take notice that you were able to produce more than when Carter was president. When George H.W. Bush took over, television rebounded in its pursuits to make conservatives look reminiscent of Archie Bunker. George Bush Sr. was a “moderate” Republican, meaning that he “reached across the aisle.” That led to the Democrats tricking him, him falling for it, and Bill Clinton getting elected. That is what happens when you compromise your fundamental principles.
But before I go into a history tangent, I am going to explain what Conservatism is and why every American should be one. First of all, the images regarding Conservatism are wrong. When people accuse Conservatives of being narrow minded, old fashioned, and ignorant, and people actually believe it, it reveals a truth about the person believing it. In believing such notion without taking the effort to look into it themselves, that alone tells me that they have to be told what to think. They express actual ignorance and narrow mindedness because if they actually took the time to look into what Conservatism actually is, researched its roots, and what it requires, they would most likely find that they too are conservatives themselves. Realizing that a person is Conservative requires letting go of what society says it is, finding out on your own what it really is, and embracing it based on your favor towards its principles. In other words, it determines whether or not you think for yourself, or whether you have to be told what to think. Thinking for yourself is a virtue. Blindly accepting what others tell you something is, is either lazy or done for purpose of being socially accepted. When you are independent, you fearlessly break yourself off from the intimidation of social pressure. If you are strictly loyal to truth, then you will always encounter social opposition. Yet when you are armed with facts and substance, and grow in your knowledge of them, you become armed with them, and when challenged by opposing factions, you can stump them and expose their ignorance and narrow mindedness in your presence.
So anyway, what is Conservatism? Conservatism is holding true to the nature of the traits I mentioned above and not compromising them. Let’s go into a detailed examination as to what I am talking about in this case.
1. God
Thomas Jefferson opened the Declaration of Independence with, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration of Independence was a document that expressed a lot of outrage and justifiable anger. The King of England and thus the King of the American Colonies taxed, neglected the interests of, and refused the people the right of having a representative attend to their needs. When it erupted into a war of revolution, the motivational slogan that was carried throughout the war was “don’t tread on me.” The document not only aired its frustrations with the King, but also signified that under God, we are all equal in His eyes, and that we are not going to stand for a ruler that will get what he wants, make us pay for what he wants, and deny us the right to speak out, protest, or oppose what he wants. As deeply spiritual men, those who lived in the colonies under the tyrannical rule of the King were very sensitive and wise to those who trampled over their God-given liberties. They sought a system in which the Government would have to answer to the people, and not the people answer to the government. The Liberty Bell, which was used for war and used at the reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776, read a part of a Bible verse from Leviticus 25:10 which reads, “…proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants….” Liberty is the freedom to choose, the freedom to decide one thing over another thing. When man is dominant and controlling, he attempts to force everybody under him to the conformities of his own will. Tyranny to put it simply is a dictatorship and only dictators force all to the conformities to their own will. Both Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson coined the motto “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” While man in his selfish state takes at the expense of others, God loves all and gives of himself to all who actively seek Him and ask of Him.
2. The American Constitution
As those who experienced tyranny first hand, they decided to take notice of their outrage and wrote down what they wanted in a free, representative government. The Constitution encapsulated what they felt every American as independent individuals should have to secure their liberties and initiated in writing boundaries for which the Government would not have the right to overstep. Through this document, the idea of limited Government was formed.
3. An individual’s right to own property
Liberty allows the environment for an individual the right to own private property. You may not see it this way much today, but a true Conservative fights for this right. If you own property, your property is like being the ruler of your own little country. Within the borders of your own “country,” you have the freedom to grow your own food (equivalent to agriculture), raise your children (equivalent to population growth), protect it (equivalent to national security), and live which ever way you choose to. If you own, you owe nobody. You are under no obligation. When you own, you are aware of those who would rather you rent. When you rent, you are obligated to live by the standards and rules set by the owners you rent from. In today’s world, when people talk against private ownership, they actively seek to have the government control it so that they will be able to determine the rules.
4. An individual’s right to prosper.
Everyone has a unique talent or means for which they produce and make a living off of. Where you work, your skills, talents, and judgments are depended on to make the place of you work for function. The more you work, the more you prosper. The more you care, the more you gain recognition. The more you gain recognition, the more valuable you become to the interests of who you work for. Of course now that seems to be corrupted, yet in stable businesses, this truth remains. The idea of taxation for representation was a concept designed for citizens to fund the Government and pay the salaries of its representatives. The fewer taxes we pay, the smaller the government gets (or should be). The higher taxes we pay, the bigger government gets. The bigger the government gets, the more it becomes greedy and controlling, and the more controlling it gets, the more it seeks to limit people’s freedoms in pursuit of its own greed. Greed is an excessive desire for acquiring more than one needs or deserves. Greedy politicians seek to impose more laws on others in pursuit of acquiring more power than they need or deserve, yet they have the audacity to define what greed is merely by stating that greed is simply wanting to keep what the producer has earned. That is a corrupt outlook on what greed actually is. There is nothing wrong with having nice things either, but those who seek the most from you the individual, seek to have more for themselves by taxing you more, or establish new organizations that will campaign and promote you. The more you pay in taxes, the greedier the government gets. The greedier the government gets, the more they impose laws on you that will require you to pay more and expand their power over you. The less you pay in taxes, the more you will have to spend. The more you spend, the more you will stimulate the economy. The more the economy is stimulated, the more jobs are created to keep up with the demand of the spending habits of the people.
5. Patriotism
Patriotism is an interesting concept. Patriotism is simply having a love and loyalty to one’s individual nation. In a Conservative sense, Patriotism is loving and keeping an uncommon loyalty to the American Constitution and founding principles that allowed for such a document to be birthed. In other words, Patriotism is a love and loyalty out of appreciation for having our own individual liberties. In this sense, in contrast to the rest of the world, we seek to protect and defend this nation and its interests, and the document that pulls it all together to make it all possible. America is of a superior nature and a nature that is the envy of the world. That is one of the many reasons why individuals worldwide seeking individual freedoms, see America as the beacon of hope for them and their families. It was intended to be a system of the people, by the people, and for the people. Tyrannical leaders do not care about the people under them. That would call for a sense of morality, a conviction to treat others as you would like to be treated, and value the lives of others fearfully as you value your own life. Tyrannical leaders also lack a sense of fear that they will one day be held accountable to God for how they exercised their power over others.
So the next time you hear Conservatives being trashed, ridiculed, or demonized, remember that those doing it are either actively seeking to control every aspect of your life, or they are ignorant individuals whose hearts may be in the right place, yet fall victim to the illusions purposely fed to them by those who greedily seek such control over your individual liberties. I have seen on numerous occasions people who believe in all that I mentioned above, but vote for those who are opposite. How does this happen? Through deception. Many times, controlling people tend to seek power by exploiting the compassion of others. And yet these types are caught by surprise when they realize that their freedoms are being either infringed on, or are in the process of being taken away entirely by the very ones they elected into office. That is why it is extremely important to be informed. One of the best ways to be informed is to know your rights and freedoms, remember who gave them to you, and come back for a “refresher” course.
American Conservatism is comprised of these vitally important fundamentals.
1. God
2. The American Constitution
3. An individual’s right to own property
4. An individual’s right to prosper.
5. Loyalty to one’s individual nation.
For decades, Americans have been psychologically conditioned to believe that such virtues are, in their words “Neanderthal,” “old fashioned,” and/or “outdated,” and that they are embraced by (and this is in their own words) ignorant, narrow minded people who are afraid of change. In newspapers, magazines, television, movies, and every form of media, this type of thinking has been encouraged. In the 1970’s the fictional Archie Bunker character was iconic in trying to push this image. Archie Bunker was a character that was intended to portray conservatives as racist, sexist, bigoted, homophobes. When Conservatism rebounded after four years of fierce liberalism in action brought upon by a heavily Liberal Democrat President (Jimmy Carter) and a liberal Democrat Congress, the media took over as the main source of demonizing Conservatism brought out by Ronald Reagan (who once was a liberal Democrat) by attempting to bring to the American people’s attention things that made the President look bad, as well as ignoring news stories that would make him appear favorable. In other words, to really appreciate Ronald Reagan you had to simply observe your surroundings and take notice that you were able to produce more than when Carter was president. When George H.W. Bush took over, television rebounded in its pursuits to make conservatives look reminiscent of Archie Bunker. George Bush Sr. was a “moderate” Republican, meaning that he “reached across the aisle.” That led to the Democrats tricking him, him falling for it, and Bill Clinton getting elected. That is what happens when you compromise your fundamental principles.
But before I go into a history tangent, I am going to explain what Conservatism is and why every American should be one. First of all, the images regarding Conservatism are wrong. When people accuse Conservatives of being narrow minded, old fashioned, and ignorant, and people actually believe it, it reveals a truth about the person believing it. In believing such notion without taking the effort to look into it themselves, that alone tells me that they have to be told what to think. They express actual ignorance and narrow mindedness because if they actually took the time to look into what Conservatism actually is, researched its roots, and what it requires, they would most likely find that they too are conservatives themselves. Realizing that a person is Conservative requires letting go of what society says it is, finding out on your own what it really is, and embracing it based on your favor towards its principles. In other words, it determines whether or not you think for yourself, or whether you have to be told what to think. Thinking for yourself is a virtue. Blindly accepting what others tell you something is, is either lazy or done for purpose of being socially accepted. When you are independent, you fearlessly break yourself off from the intimidation of social pressure. If you are strictly loyal to truth, then you will always encounter social opposition. Yet when you are armed with facts and substance, and grow in your knowledge of them, you become armed with them, and when challenged by opposing factions, you can stump them and expose their ignorance and narrow mindedness in your presence.
So anyway, what is Conservatism? Conservatism is holding true to the nature of the traits I mentioned above and not compromising them. Let’s go into a detailed examination as to what I am talking about in this case.
1. God
Thomas Jefferson opened the Declaration of Independence with, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration of Independence was a document that expressed a lot of outrage and justifiable anger. The King of England and thus the King of the American Colonies taxed, neglected the interests of, and refused the people the right of having a representative attend to their needs. When it erupted into a war of revolution, the motivational slogan that was carried throughout the war was “don’t tread on me.” The document not only aired its frustrations with the King, but also signified that under God, we are all equal in His eyes, and that we are not going to stand for a ruler that will get what he wants, make us pay for what he wants, and deny us the right to speak out, protest, or oppose what he wants. As deeply spiritual men, those who lived in the colonies under the tyrannical rule of the King were very sensitive and wise to those who trampled over their God-given liberties. They sought a system in which the Government would have to answer to the people, and not the people answer to the government. The Liberty Bell, which was used for war and used at the reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776, read a part of a Bible verse from Leviticus 25:10 which reads, “…proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants….” Liberty is the freedom to choose, the freedom to decide one thing over another thing. When man is dominant and controlling, he attempts to force everybody under him to the conformities of his own will. Tyranny to put it simply is a dictatorship and only dictators force all to the conformities to their own will. Both Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson coined the motto “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” While man in his selfish state takes at the expense of others, God loves all and gives of himself to all who actively seek Him and ask of Him.
2. The American Constitution
As those who experienced tyranny first hand, they decided to take notice of their outrage and wrote down what they wanted in a free, representative government. The Constitution encapsulated what they felt every American as independent individuals should have to secure their liberties and initiated in writing boundaries for which the Government would not have the right to overstep. Through this document, the idea of limited Government was formed.
3. An individual’s right to own property
Liberty allows the environment for an individual the right to own private property. You may not see it this way much today, but a true Conservative fights for this right. If you own property, your property is like being the ruler of your own little country. Within the borders of your own “country,” you have the freedom to grow your own food (equivalent to agriculture), raise your children (equivalent to population growth), protect it (equivalent to national security), and live which ever way you choose to. If you own, you owe nobody. You are under no obligation. When you own, you are aware of those who would rather you rent. When you rent, you are obligated to live by the standards and rules set by the owners you rent from. In today’s world, when people talk against private ownership, they actively seek to have the government control it so that they will be able to determine the rules.
4. An individual’s right to prosper.
Everyone has a unique talent or means for which they produce and make a living off of. Where you work, your skills, talents, and judgments are depended on to make the place of you work for function. The more you work, the more you prosper. The more you care, the more you gain recognition. The more you gain recognition, the more valuable you become to the interests of who you work for. Of course now that seems to be corrupted, yet in stable businesses, this truth remains. The idea of taxation for representation was a concept designed for citizens to fund the Government and pay the salaries of its representatives. The fewer taxes we pay, the smaller the government gets (or should be). The higher taxes we pay, the bigger government gets. The bigger the government gets, the more it becomes greedy and controlling, and the more controlling it gets, the more it seeks to limit people’s freedoms in pursuit of its own greed. Greed is an excessive desire for acquiring more than one needs or deserves. Greedy politicians seek to impose more laws on others in pursuit of acquiring more power than they need or deserve, yet they have the audacity to define what greed is merely by stating that greed is simply wanting to keep what the producer has earned. That is a corrupt outlook on what greed actually is. There is nothing wrong with having nice things either, but those who seek the most from you the individual, seek to have more for themselves by taxing you more, or establish new organizations that will campaign and promote you. The more you pay in taxes, the greedier the government gets. The greedier the government gets, the more they impose laws on you that will require you to pay more and expand their power over you. The less you pay in taxes, the more you will have to spend. The more you spend, the more you will stimulate the economy. The more the economy is stimulated, the more jobs are created to keep up with the demand of the spending habits of the people.
5. Patriotism
Patriotism is an interesting concept. Patriotism is simply having a love and loyalty to one’s individual nation. In a Conservative sense, Patriotism is loving and keeping an uncommon loyalty to the American Constitution and founding principles that allowed for such a document to be birthed. In other words, Patriotism is a love and loyalty out of appreciation for having our own individual liberties. In this sense, in contrast to the rest of the world, we seek to protect and defend this nation and its interests, and the document that pulls it all together to make it all possible. America is of a superior nature and a nature that is the envy of the world. That is one of the many reasons why individuals worldwide seeking individual freedoms, see America as the beacon of hope for them and their families. It was intended to be a system of the people, by the people, and for the people. Tyrannical leaders do not care about the people under them. That would call for a sense of morality, a conviction to treat others as you would like to be treated, and value the lives of others fearfully as you value your own life. Tyrannical leaders also lack a sense of fear that they will one day be held accountable to God for how they exercised their power over others.
So the next time you hear Conservatives being trashed, ridiculed, or demonized, remember that those doing it are either actively seeking to control every aspect of your life, or they are ignorant individuals whose hearts may be in the right place, yet fall victim to the illusions purposely fed to them by those who greedily seek such control over your individual liberties. I have seen on numerous occasions people who believe in all that I mentioned above, but vote for those who are opposite. How does this happen? Through deception. Many times, controlling people tend to seek power by exploiting the compassion of others. And yet these types are caught by surprise when they realize that their freedoms are being either infringed on, or are in the process of being taken away entirely by the very ones they elected into office. That is why it is extremely important to be informed. One of the best ways to be informed is to know your rights and freedoms, remember who gave them to you, and come back for a “refresher” course.