Posted on 09/24/2004 12:33:11 PM PDT by NCSteve
My definition of a "true" conservative is pretty simple:
A political conservative is someone who believes that the least government is the best government. A political conservative believes the only valid function of the US Federal government is to provide for the common defense and to regulate interstate trade. A political conservative believes that anything more than this leads to tyranny and must be resisted at all costs.
A political conservative also believes that the sovereignty of the US is sacrosanct because it was purchased with the blood of her children. A political conservative believes that treaties and trade agreements that violate that sovereignty are anathema and those who support them are treasonous.
A social conservative believes that the US was founded on traditional Judeo-Christian values. A social conservative believes that personal responsibility is second only to fealty to God in importance as a personality trait. A social conservative believes that the traditional family is the most important social construct and is fundamental to the survival of our society.
A fiscal conservative believes that you have first rights to the fruits of your own labor. A fiscal conservative believes that just as we all must live within our means, so must the government. A fiscal conservative believes that it is immoral for the government to confiscate the wealth of its citizens in order to redistribute it, no matter what the reason.
A "true" conservative is a political, a social, and a fiscal conservative. Simple as that.
Your description sounds more like a libertarian.
The whole political idea behind "conservatism," as I see it, is how much power you choose to conserve (i.e. by not giving it to the gov't.) The more Liberal you are, the more "liberally" you give your power, as a voter and a citizen, to the government. Easy distinction.
While not all libertarians are conservative, all conservatives are libertarian.
Section. 8. The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
To establish Post Offices and post Roads;
To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
To provide and maintain a Navy;
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; — And
To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.
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The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Perfect. I like that a lot.
"Libertarianism is the heart of conservativism."
-Ronald Wilson Reagan
Here we go again. :-)
If that's the definition of a conservative, how is a libertarian different? Or, for that matter, an anarchist?
Oh, well. I get two out of three.
Now you guys have done it. The wrath of the anti-libertarians is going to come down on you.
Excuse me while I go fix popcorn and wait for the fireworks. :)
Very well stated. I am going to use it as a definition of a conservative at our next Townhall Conservatives meeting.
An explanation of how your post relates to the points of the poster might be helpful.
Anarchy is the absence of government. The phrase "least government" explictly mentions government.
The truth is we all need more government. Much, much more government. Self government.
So, it must be time to call it a week.
Tiny criticism: put "(vanity)" in the title or at least put "vanity" as the author (MeMyselfAndI is cute, but I really appreciate it when people use the word "vanity" to be clear).
The founders were all more or less libertarians. The political party that calls itself libertarian these days represents the Henry David Thoreau school of passivism and eventual anarchism. I don't believe that is conservatism. Thomas Jefferson is regularly credited with saying "That government is best which governs least." I believe that conservatives are libertarians who do not believe in the inevitability of anarchy. I think conservatives believe that there is a place for government in society, but that it must be strictly limited.
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