When formulating my thoughts for this posting I checked out the Wikipedia definition of conservatism. What a bunch of drivel. Check this out:
Wikipedia - Conservatism is a political and social term from the Latin verb conservare meaning to save or preserve. As the name suggests it usually indicates support for the status quo or the status quo ante, though the meaning has changed in different countries and time periods. Cultural conservatism is a philosophy that supports preservation of the heritage of a nation or culture.
That definitely didn't help me at all. STATUS QUO? Since When? Preservation of the heritage of a nation or culture, well maybe but that's not really it either.
I did find a link to a UCLA article by Philip E Agre entitled "What is Conservatism and What Is Wrong with it?"
I'm not going to post a link to this because I don't want to waste your time and believe me it is a monumental waste of time. Here is all you need to know about this article;
"Conservatism is the domination of society by an aristocracy"? "a destructive system of inequality and prejudice that is founded on deception and has no place in the modern world."What are they teaching in our Universities these days? Now I'm mad! Deep breaths, calm down Tom.
None of this is in anyway has helped me to formulate what conservatism means to me. Guess I'm going to have to do this myself. When I think of conservative values the first thing that comes to mind is Common Sense. I'm sure a liberal or even a leftist would say the same about their values. I wonder what I'll find on liberalism.
Wikipedia - Liberalism is a broad class of political philosophies that considers individual liberty and equality to be the most important political goals. [WOW Really?] Liberalism appears in two broad forms: Classical liberalism, which emphasizes the importance of individual liberty, and social liberalism which emphasizes some kind of redistribution of wealth. [Now, that's more like it].
I have to remember that what we have now in These United States is not Liberalism it is the extreme left which is occupied by socialism. There are several forms of socialism, National Socialism [Fascist] and International Socialism [Communism]. There are more forms of socialist but these two are the main ones. No wonder all the dems like Castro & Chaves. Are there no real liberals left among us? Maybe, what about compassionate conservatives? I don't know, but maybe.
Well, back on topic. Sorry about the detour there. I've already said Common Sense, I'll add hard work and the benefit from that hard work, Family/taking care of our own, freedom to worship, planning/saving for the future, the individual freedom to pursue the previous items listed, the right of self-defense[read Guns, I do like my guns], limited [read small] government and a strong national defense. Now that's a pretty good list and now that it is written down I know where it most of it comes from. The Preamble and Bill of Rights to our Constitution. Was this country formed as a conservative country? Duh, YEAH! Now that I realize that, it becomes so important to me that the Constitution primarily the Preamble and first ten Amendments must be defended and preserved.
Who are histories most notable conservative leaders? Here's my list;
They are in no particular order, but let me know your thoughts on this.
I do have some Liberal leaders that I admire. Remember, these are Classical Liberals not leftists. Maybe it's my age but I did admire JFK [I was twelve when he was assassinated] and I admire Joe Liberman's courage to stand up to the left wing of his party. Yeah, I know it's a much smaller list. What can I say?
I guess when I boil it all down, conservatism to me is limited government and maximum individual freedom. The most important conservative value for me has to be limited government because the opposite to limited government is a large and expensive central government that will require that my individual freedoms are reduced. Think about it, if you have a strong centralized federal government, how can you have enough individual freedoms left for the pursuit of happiness. There's that Constitution again.
I do appreciate all feed back and suggestions. Texas Tom
Wikipedia - Conservatism is a political and social term from the Latin verb conservare meaning to save or preserve. As the name suggests it usually indicates support for the status quo or the status quo ante, though the meaning has changed in different countries and time periods. Cultural conservatism is a philosophy that supports preservation of the heritage of a nation or culture.
That definitely didn't help me at all. STATUS QUO? Since When? Preservation of the heritage of a nation or culture, well maybe but that's not really it either.
I did find a link to a UCLA article by Philip E Agre entitled "What is Conservatism and What Is Wrong with it?"
I'm not going to post a link to this because I don't want to waste your time and believe me it is a monumental waste of time. Here is all you need to know about this article;
- Q: What is conservatism?
- A: Conservatism is the domination of society by an aristocracy.
- Q: What is wrong with conservatism?
- A: Conservatism is incompatible with democracy, prosperity, and civilization in general. It is a destructive system of inequality and prejudice that is founded on deception and has no place in the modern world.
"Conservatism is the domination of society by an aristocracy"? "a destructive system of inequality and prejudice that is founded on deception and has no place in the modern world."What are they teaching in our Universities these days? Now I'm mad! Deep breaths, calm down Tom.
None of this is in anyway has helped me to formulate what conservatism means to me. Guess I'm going to have to do this myself. When I think of conservative values the first thing that comes to mind is Common Sense. I'm sure a liberal or even a leftist would say the same about their values. I wonder what I'll find on liberalism.
Wikipedia - Liberalism is a broad class of political philosophies that considers individual liberty and equality to be the most important political goals. [WOW Really?] Liberalism appears in two broad forms: Classical liberalism, which emphasizes the importance of individual liberty, and social liberalism which emphasizes some kind of redistribution of wealth. [Now, that's more like it].
I have to remember that what we have now in These United States is not Liberalism it is the extreme left which is occupied by socialism. There are several forms of socialism, National Socialism [Fascist] and International Socialism [Communism]. There are more forms of socialist but these two are the main ones. No wonder all the dems like Castro & Chaves. Are there no real liberals left among us? Maybe, what about compassionate conservatives? I don't know, but maybe.
Well, back on topic. Sorry about the detour there. I've already said Common Sense, I'll add hard work and the benefit from that hard work, Family/taking care of our own, freedom to worship, planning/saving for the future, the individual freedom to pursue the previous items listed, the right of self-defense[read Guns, I do like my guns], limited [read small] government and a strong national defense. Now that's a pretty good list and now that it is written down I know where it most of it comes from. The Preamble and Bill of Rights to our Constitution. Was this country formed as a conservative country? Duh, YEAH! Now that I realize that, it becomes so important to me that the Constitution primarily the Preamble and first ten Amendments must be defended and preserved.
Who are histories most notable conservative leaders? Here's my list;
- Washington
- Adams
- Jefferson
- Lincoln
- Edmund Burke
- Regean
- Thatcher
- Churchill
- Goldwater
They are in no particular order, but let me know your thoughts on this.
I do have some Liberal leaders that I admire. Remember, these are Classical Liberals not leftists. Maybe it's my age but I did admire JFK [I was twelve when he was assassinated] and I admire Joe Liberman's courage to stand up to the left wing of his party. Yeah, I know it's a much smaller list. What can I say?
I guess when I boil it all down, conservatism to me is limited government and maximum individual freedom. The most important conservative value for me has to be limited government because the opposite to limited government is a large and expensive central government that will require that my individual freedoms are reduced. Think about it, if you have a strong centralized federal government, how can you have enough individual freedoms left for the pursuit of happiness. There's that Constitution again.
I do appreciate all feed back and suggestions. Texas Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment