My Conservative Manifesto Rewrite: Part V: Government: Part 1

 Government

Introduction: 

This section probably has the topic for several books (if i could write, which obviously i can't).  This will, essentially, be: what i believe the role of government is and some of its failures. This will be a cursory and basic overview.  

Some of my views may be shocking (or counter to what you believe).  There are so many things about government to explain. i will most likely be talking about the congress (legislative level).

i will be mostly talking about the US form of government, the Constitutional Republic. 

My Conservative Manifesto Rewrite: Part IV Part II (after dark)

Here is where i take some subjects that didn't really seem to flow in the first post, and one point that may seem contradictory.  Remember, this originated in 2011 or so. 

It should be noted, i wasn't that great of a student - i never really learned to study, since i didn't have to (used to have a pretty good memory).  i never really tried at school (trying is the first step to failure).  

i guess it was lucky for me teachers were so lazy that they loved multiple choice tests.  i was above average on those. You'd be surprised how many curves an average-ish student like me that i set or was near the top of.  Once you realize the sentence structure is almost aways the same you can find keywords fast, then associate them with answers.  You know the person who turns in their test in 5 minutes?  That was me.  

There was a 120 T/F, multiple choice Anthropology test that i turned in under 4 minutes and got the second highest score in the class.

i didn't have to put up with modern train wreck teaching techniques like "common core".

My Conservative Manifesto Rewrite Part IV: Education

Now is the part where i talk (keyboard, type or whatever you want to call it) about education, more specifically the educational system.  

Is the status quo in education effective?  Are teachers actually overpaid?  How should schools be funded (what is the most ethical way to fund them)?  What roles should schools actually have (hint: it is not secondary parent)?  In no particular order, i'll get this section started.    

Educational Funding

This is the part where i alienate every potential liberal who might be reading (all zero of them).  i've long thought of schools as inefficient money pits.  

How should education be funded?  The current method of federal government money, state money, local money (most as tax on property value) is not quite efficient. i do not believe that the schools should be funded by the federal or state government directly at all.  My view is that schools should be funded through educational vouchers at the state level.  That should be the only funding given directly to schools (no levies or any other funding sources, unless you want a baseline level of funding for every school regardless of affiliation).  

You may ask yourself if every school deserves to receive the same level of funding - my answer would be a definitive no.  With the current funding system, schools in more affluent areas that pay higher property taxes/levies deserve better schools.  They should not be used in a redistributive way.  

Will this create "have" and "have not" schools?  Yes, and that is the most fair way.  This would essentially spell the end of the public school system.  

My Conservative Manifesto Rewrite Part III: The Family

 Family

As i alluded to in the last post (People II), it takes a family not a village.  i always wanted to have a family (wife, 2-4 kids and a dog), but it was never in the cards for me. So, take of that what you will.  My only experience was growing up in a family of 8.

The family is a very important social structure.  This is the part where i get to say what i believe the role of the family unit is. i will also touch on issues such as marriage (and its definition), divorce, and whatever else pops into my head.

The definition of what a family is may have changed over time from the "golden age" nuclear family to the mixed family and single parent households of today.  In the "golden age" or Leave It to Beaver form, there was a father, a stay-at-home mother, two kids and a dog living in the suburbs in a house with a white picket fence.  That would likely be seen as quaint or repressive by today's warped standards. 

So, what do i see the role of the family?  The goal of a family is to create a loving and stable environment where parents can impart a moral and ethical code for their children.  The parents can provide a good home even without marriage. There does not necessarily have to be a genetic connection to be a family.  

The parents should teach their children how to behave ethically in situations and try to promote the development of a child. Basically, teach the child what they view as important in life (goals, attributes, etc).  

My Conservative Manifesto Rewrite Part III: People II

 The Equality Lie and Diversity Myth

There is a misguided belief in the US (especially) that pretends somehow everyone is equal. People should be equal in the eyes of the law (one of the reasons i'm against "hate crime" laws) but extending it much further than that is delusional and irresponsible.  

People are strange animals, but they do not inherently have the same value to society.  People have their own strengths and weaknesses, competencies and failures.  Not everyone can do everything, and they should not try.

Take economic value, should a CEO be paid more than a burger flipper?  Yes, there is no doubt (i will touch on that more in a future section).  Economic equality is a failed concept from the beginning.  

People who better use resources deserve to profit from their competency, foresight, and risk-taking.  Trying to level the playing field just disadvantages everyone.  Some people are better suited for certain roles than others.    

Diversity was sold to the US mainly because the country was newer and needed additional workers.  However, diversity is not really a net benefit.  

Look at the Scandanavian countries (before the refuge idiocy); they have little ethnic diversity, but a happier population.  Diversity leads directly to conflict and self-segregation.  A major problem is the lack of assimilation into a common culture.  

In the earlier days if the US, people of different backgrounds, faiths, etc. were willing to chase after the concept of success known as the American Dream.  The dream largely consisted of being comfortable economically and having a fulfilling family life.  As time went on, the groups further fractured and sort of self-segregated (especially racial groups).  

Diversity actually shrank allowing groups better opportunity to become disenfranchised and blame their failures on another group (whatever group had the most control).  Eventually, you get into the cycle of crime, poverty and moral decay.  It is not racism, for the most part, but economic stagnation and a lack of personal responsibility that have led to most of the problems - whether it is the trailer park, the ghetto or the barrio.  

Diversity only works well with common goals.  You don't want everyone to think the exact same way (complete group think) though. 

My Conservative Manifesto Rewrite Part III: People I

People: What's their deal?

"People are people, so why should it be you and me get along so awfully?" This is a quote from a Depeche Mode song from the awesome 1980s. 

There are many reasons why people don't get along. The reasons range from superficial (outward appearance), philosophy, xenophobic feelings (unknown), life experiences and many other things. Things like "racism" (a form of xenophobia) are actually natural/evolutionary reactions related to a fear and/or actions of an unknow entity.  

This is the section where i tackle people and some things i believe are inherently wrong with them (and the assumptions i view them as operating under). 

My Conservative Manifesto Rewrite: Loose Background: Part II

 So, this is where i give you a little background. i decided to break this section out on the rewrite.

For me, the first conservative role model was the fictional Alex P. Keaton from the show Family Ties.  Alex P. Keaton came from hippie/60s activist parents, but somehow turned out mostly right. He was an overachiever with a decent understanding of economics.  In many ways, he was a throwback to the good old days before the tumultuous late 1960s.  He was confused by the feminist movement and the new rules between males and females. To me, he was socially moderate - however it was the economic arena where APK shined. This is where he was really conservative - despising government regulations, loving the free market system, and believing success was the role of the individual not the government. 

 i know you can't tell from the way i write, but i actually had a similar major (not considering specializations) to APK - Business and economics.  Sometimes, i find myself thinking What Would Alex P Keaton Do (WWAPKD).

For all of the personal differences, life experiences, and views that conservatives possess; there tend to be commonalities. Conservatives generally believe in a small hands-off government with personal freedom and responsibility where the outcome is largely determined through personal effort. 

Capitalism is the perfect vehicle to channel this economic behavior  i believe that government intervention limits vital personal incentives to succeed and grow. Of course, government intervention can lead to changes in behaviors (especially saving, investing, and whatever nonsense is in the tax code) and weaken incentives. 

My Conservative Manifesto 2022 Rewrite

Welcome to my 2022 Conservative Manifesto rewrite (MCMr).  This is a Jerry McGuire manifesto, not a Unabomber one.  The original was plagued by copy paste and formatting errors.  This is the newer, shinier, ever so slightly revised 2022 version. Maybe some views have nuanced slightly since the earlier MCM tag version.

Welcome to my Conservative Manifesto.  i know there are a myriad of books, articles, and maybe even radio talk shows that espouse a "conservative belief system", so why am i taking the time to write out semi comprehensibly what it means to me to be a conservative?  What i believe may not be widely espoused. At least you'll know where i'm coming from (and maybe a little bit why).  Conservatives, like liberals are not all the same - there are different shades and beliefs that fall within the concept. 

i thought that i would try to articulate, maybe superficially, where i stand on some of the issues. This whole process of defining my beliefs started years ago when i was lurking on a "Conservative Thinking in America" thread, posted in the now defunct Amazon Gold Box Political Forum. In this thread, conservatives were discussing issues (started that way inevitably ended up insult session by ever so tolerant liberals).  Anyway, one day i decided to post why i viewed myself as conservative and basic policy views. That turned into my first version.  When i am more on, i write in more of a stream of consciousness style (some of the best paper i wrote in school i wasn't sure what i wrote until i read).         

Why are Women 1 Issue Voters

 I know, a bit of an oversimplification... but why is it that women are portrayed as being only centered on one political issue?

Is it the economy that impacts every aspect of life?  No.  Is it the woefully inadequate school system? No.  Is it world affairs?  No. Is it the truly misguided beliefs in "equity" or man-made "climate change"? Thankfully, no.  

It is abortion. i cannot understand why so many women are pre-occupied with abortion (mostly used as a form of birth control). Especially when stuff like contraceptives exist.  i guess they can't be held responsible for the consequences of their actions.