No more sitting on the sidelines

If you are still reading my blog, then that must mean that you are serious about conservatism. You must realize that conservatism is the only remedy for our nation's ills. The left wants you to belive that the government can solve all of your problems if you will only hand over all of your freedoms. Liberalism is equality at the expense of freedom. Liberals spout off about free health care, free higher education, guaranteed jobs, etc. but in return you must give up your right to spend and donate your income the way you see fit, your right to oppose social measures that you do not agree with, your right to make decisions about your life, from what kind of car to drive, to what doctor you want to see, to what you want to do as a career. Equality always comes at the expense of freedom.

Sound extreme? These things are already happening in Europe, the liberal "land of equality". If the government pays for your healthcare, then shouldn't they be able to say what doctor you go to? If the government pays for your school, then shouldn't they be able to dictate what you do with that degree? See where I am going with this?

Liberals talk about things like houses, cars, jobs, as rights, rather than things that have to be earned. They think that the government should be given absolute power to ensure that everybody has exactly the same things, of course the only way to do that is to take the wealth away from those that earn it, and give it to those who do not.

The reason that they are in power is because the regular people are duped into believing that you can set up this kind of system without any lasting consequences. Ask anyone, "do you want health care for free?" What do you expect people to say? Liberals believe that they can use the government to force a utopia.

Conservatives, on the other hand, don' t necessarily disagree with the ends. Would it be nice for everyone to have free health care? Sure. What about a job? Absolutely. Money? Food? Cars? Boats? Would it be nice if everyone was rich, affluent, educated, and productive? Why not? Conservatives realize that freedom must come at the expense of equality. If you give over all the power to the government, you are no longer free. Republicans realize that you cannot have a state induced utopia without destroying the very elements of society that made this country great.

Rush Limbaugh often asks; "With all of the countries and civilizations around the globe, some of which have been around for thousands of years, how is it that America, in a mere 200 years has risen to the top, and become the dominant superpower in the world?" The answer is in one word. Freedom. People came to this country, and they worked. The knew that they were not owed anything and if they wanted to survive, they had to scratch it out with their fingernails. Imagine where we would be if the waves of immigrants that came to this country in the 1800's and early 1900's had arrived, looked around, and sat down and waited for their government check? Where would our country be now? Yet this is what the liberals want for our immigrants today.

Liberals salivate at the prospect of changing our society, government, and economy to model that of France. France? When has France been at the forefront of anything? Europe criticizes us for being a warmongering nation, but it is our warmongering that preserved their freedom in WWII and the Cold War. Do they think that the USSR stopped at the eastern bloc because they just "didn't feel like going any farther"? No, it was because Ronald Regan showed that he and the rest of America had the onions to stand up to the Evil Empire and play chicken. We won, and Europe is still free to talk about how horrible we are.

The basis of conservatism is to maintain an environment, where the individual can succeed. The government cannot (and should not) ensure success, all the government can do is set the stage. Conservatives realize that in order for people to climb out of poverty, their must be a strong economy that will provide jobs to unskilled workers. When the economy is weak, those jobs are the first to go. When poor people have jobs, and work, they are able to gradually work their way out of poverty. This process sometimes takes generations, but we know that it works. When the economy is strong, we see that poor people are gradually becoming less poor.

Lets look at the alternative. A poor person gets a government check. This check is substantial enough that this person to maintain a standard of living that he otherwise could not afford. Now, that person could go, get some job training, and get a better job, but then he would make too much to qualify for the government assistance, but not enough to maintain the lifestyle that he currently has. So what does he do? Stays where he is, not progressing, not moving forward. The tragedy is that his children learn that rather than work hard and try to be successful, you do the bare minimum and collect your check from the government. In the work that I do, I see this every day.

Liberals see a man who has his needs provided for, and they revel in the fact that this man is completely dependent on the state. Conservatives see a man who is crippled. A man who will never move past this pitiful stipend that he government has given him. A man who has sacrificed his freedom and is enslaved to the government that is paying his rent. Who will that man vote for in the election? Say that the party that supports increasing his stipend, also supports some atrocious act like say...killing unborn babies (this of course is entirely theoretical). Who will this man vote for? Thus his moral conscience is hindered by his dependence on the state. This is what the liberal wants.

Friends, this is a war. A culture war. If you think any less of it, you are deluding yourselves. The liberal movement has gotten where it is, because conservatives are too busy actually contributing to society to be much concerned with the direction society is headed. That time is past. If you agree with the things I say, then you must act. Notice that the first words in the Constitution are "WE THE PEOPLE." If you are tired of the way things are going, then you must get involved. I am not just talking about voting. I am talking about really getting involved. Write to your congressman, get involved in local elections, stay abreast of the issues, and most of all, run for office. I am coming to the realization that if I want something done right, I have to do it myself. The time is coming when you may see my name on a ballot, and even if you don't you can be sure that I will be putting my effort behind someone else who feels the way I do. The time for sitting on the sidelines is past. The coach has called us in. Is anyone going to sit this one out?