Part 1: Intro
Welcome to my conservative manifesto. i know there are a myriad of books, articles and maybe even radio talk shows that articulate conservative belief systems. So, why am I taking the time to write out semi-comprehensively why I consider myself a conservative and what I believe in as it relates to a broad range of topics? Conservatives, like liberals are not all the same there are different shades and beliefs that fall within the concept. I thought that I would articulate (maybe superficially where I stand on certain issues). This is mostly for my benefit, but maybe someone out there can actually get something from what i write.
This whole process of defining my beliefs started when I was lurking on a Conservative Thinking In America thread that was posted in the Politics section of the Amazon Gold Box forums. In this thread, conservatives were discussing issues (actually it started that way, then quickly degraded to an insult session by liberals and Marxists – one of my reasons I don’t exactly view liberals in high esteem. The shear amount of hypocrisy and insults in those i have dealt with). Anyway, one day I decided to post why I considered myself conservative and some of my basic policy views. Then I expanded into different concepts such as taxation and government services such as health care (don’t get me started on the vote in the House of Representatives). Then that turned into my first version (I usually don’t write multiple versions and kind of write in a stream of consciousness method – some of my best papers I wrote in school, I didn’t know what I wrote until I read it).
For me, the first conservative role model I had was the fictional Alex P. Keaton from the show Family Ties. Alex P. Keaton came from liberal parents but somehow turned out mostly right. He was an overachiever with a greater than basic knowledge of economics. However, in his daily life he was presented with situations that he would have to deal with (usually with political or value considerations – like teen pregnancy, having a female boss and many others). In many ways he was an old school values throwback to the good old days before the tumultuous late 60s. He was confused by the feminist movement and the new rules between males and females. i would term him more socially moderate. However it was the economic area where Alex P. Keaton really shined. He had more advanced economic knowledge than those around him (especially his parents). This is where he was really conservative – despising government regulations, loving the free market system and believing that success was the role of the individual not the government. I know you can’t tell from the way I write, but I actually went to college and had the same major (not considering specializations) as Alex P. Keaton – Business and Economics. Though Alex P. Keaton had something I never really had – self confidence. Sometimes I find myself thinking “What Would Alex P Keaton Do” (WWAPKD).
For all of the personal differences, different life experiences, and different views that conservatives possess, there tend to be commonalities. Conservatives tend to believe in a small hands-off government with personal freedom and responsibility where the outcome is determined through personal effort. I believe that government intervention limits vital personal incentives to succeed and grow. Of course, government intervention can also lead to changes in behaviors (especially saving, investing and whatever is in the tax code) and weaken incentives. Capitalism is the perfect vehicle to channel this economic behavior.
For me, one of the major differences between liberalism and conservatism is the view of the individual. In liberalism, the view of the individual is usually overshadowed by grouping them together to form some type of society. It is society’s overall goals and health that seem to be of the greatest concern. However, I believe that liberalism is just overlooking the fact that the so called societal goals have an individual benefit component. Basically I view people in the context that they will do whatever is in their best interest. In other words, they will do what benefits them the most. Though this can be extended to the family unit (as it is an evolutionary construct to ensure that the person’s DNA survives into the next generation). I side with the conservative view that the individual is the basic building block of society and that the individual’s rational actions can incidentally benefit society.
Another difference is in the view of so called equality. The assumption that all people are inherently equal is false (and delusional). People have different strengths and weaknesses. As hard as it is to accept, there are people who are worth less than others (maybe due to physical ailments or brain functionality). The value of a human is not universal. It is one thing to say that everybody (citizens) deserves equal protection under the law, but it is an entirely different thing to say that everyone should always be seen as equal in other aspects of life.
Personally, I am more concerned about economic efficiency than equality. As I stated above equality is a delusional dream. However, economic efficiency is something you can measure and improve upon. There are just some people who will never cut it. Diverting resources from the successful to the less successful is a recipe for disaster. Racial prejudices and the like can be dealt with economically (at least in the work force). There are definite economic incentives to hiring the best candidates regardless of race (or other protected conditions).
Do you want to have hints on how this will go? Too bad you get them anyway. I consider myself a fiscal conservative in favor of a small federal government and state’s rights. I am not, however, religious. Some of the online political tests seem to try and paint me as a slight Libertarian (barely outside the scope of conservative). I do have my differences with the mystical beast know as the typical conservative. I am a fan of an international policy that espouses military isolationism and I am not a fan of guns. I am sure there are other policies why I differ, but you will have to read on to find out what they are. Captivated yet?
Now that I got that out of the way, I should state that I am not a very good writer. I will have run-on sentences and fragments. I will have overly long paragraphs. My sequencing may be somewhat illogical. I do not guarantee cohesiveness. My editor is Word 2007 grammar check. My manifesto will be separated into various sections (mostly self-contained). These sections may consist of bite-sized views on particular topics and sub-topics. I may even put some of my previous weblog postings in these sections. I might just touch on subjects superficially; this is not meant to be completely in depth (though I can be convinced to extrapolate certain topics).
Enjoy reading this if you can, whether it is a particular section or the entire document. There will be a lot of words, but this is not meant to be War and Peace.
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