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Those Blogging Liberals
W hen I finished my second book Sell Your Soul, my publisher set me up with a blog. If anybody that is a Republican or an Independent has ever blogged, you will know what I am talking about. Blogging is an experience in itself. It is another world made up of Liberals who are educated, I am guessing at Columbia University, or at least a very liberal college. They sit at their computers all day, on their blogs, waiting for bait. And that is putting it mildly.
The truth is it is like walking into a pit full of vipers that are ready to strike, and strike they do. They are vicious, malicious, venomous, spiteful and just plain brutal. And they think nothing of it. It is their nature. It is like isnt everyone like that? And to some it means if you are here you deserve whatever nasty I can hand out and dont go away, I am not done. A true Liberal is not Liberal at all. They are the most close-minded people of all. At least a Conservative person will admit their faults and strive to be a better person. A Liberal wants to take away all of your God-given rights.
Needless to say, in the blogging world, if you are not a Liberal, you can only take it in very small doses. But every once in a while it pays off and you are blessed. Every once in a while one of these individuals opens up just enough that you get to witness about God and everything goes quiet, and it was all worthwhile, and you know they listened, even if just for a second.
I am from the old school. I was raised conservatively and religiously. All of my friends were raised in that manner. It has only been in the past few years that I have run across the terms Liberal and Progressive and to find out that the people who are Liberals and Progressives are attempting to do away with our Constitution and religion is a little more than I can handle. I like our Constitution and I like it the way that it is. I do not think it needs to be changed.
Liberal and conservative values in conflict
If you listen to Liberal or conservative commentators exclusively, you may think there is only one correct point of view, and the other end of the political spectrum is populated by wackos, evil schemers, and fools. It is comfortable to think that truth resides exclusively on your side of the dividebut lets try a mental experiment. Lets assume that most people, whatever their politics, sincerely believe in their ideals, and that those ideals are not all misguided. Lets look across the gorge and try to see what those other people are thinking.
[Note: Not all Liberals and conservatives would agree with every tenet listed herebut these are the beliefs that generally define the two groups.]
On the social safety net
The Liberal view
There are people in this world who need help. They struggle to put food on the table, or cannot afford medical careand many of them live in the United States. A civilized society would try to help them, instead of leaving them to fend for themselves. (Someday, the one who needs a helping hand may be you, or someone you love. All it takes is a serious illness, an injury, a lay-off, or a death in the family.)
The conservative view
People are responsible for themselvesand, given the chance, they are capable of supporting themselves and their families. If the government makes a practice of providing for people (with welfare, for example), they become weak and dependent, and lose their will to work. Nothing could be more destructive to the health of our society.
On wealth, taxes, and the role of government
The conservative view
Government should serve the peoplenot the other way around.
That government is best which governs least. In business, this means letting the free market (the most efficient economic system ever devised) generate wealth without a heavy hand trying to direct it.
Governments tend to grow like snowballs rolling downhill. We must work to reverse this trend, or the government will expand and intrude on our lives even more than it does now.
A rising tide lifts all boats. When we allow the most dynamic, successful members of society to do what they do best, they create jobs and general prosperity. In other words, lowering taxes benefits everyone. The best way to improve Americas standard of living is to let people pursue their own goals, and reduce the bureaucratic obstacles that stand in their way.
The legitimate functions of our national government are to provide security through a strong defense and to protect freedom for the individual, so that people can pursue their own goals.
Private property means that what belongs to you is yours; if the government confiscates your property that is tyranny. Our most productive citizensthe top 10% of earnersalready pay 68% of the tax revenues collected. These rates should be cut, not raised.
No one has an obligation to help a stranger involuntarily. Charity should be a personal decision. Encouraging voluntary giving would be better for Americas soul than seizing our money against our will, for purposes we dont approve of.
The Liberal view
The proper function of government is to solve problems: to reduce poverty, protect civil rights and civil liberties, keep us safe from preventable harm and, as much as possible, and ensure that all Americans have an equal chance to succeed.
We are not isolated individuals, struggling for survival: we live together, in a society. Ignoring the problems around us is a narrow-minded way to live. A society in which everyone has enough is better than a society where some are rich and others starve.
There is not enough charity to take care of everyone who needs it; therefore, government has an important role to play. The alternative is letting people go hungry, homeless, or without medical care, and that is not acceptable in a country with as much wealth as ours.
