12 Reasons Why I Am Conservative

October 9, 2004 | Charles Meek

[riri]

bookmarking for later

[DestroytheDemocrats]

Excellent.

[vrwcagent0498]

Great piece, what I've read so far. I've always voted Republican (I only could start voting in 1984, and the choice was obvious: Ronald Reagan :) )

But I know what the Democratic Party has become, especially to my elderly, religious, CONSERVATIVE family and friends; it's a slap in the face to them, for all of their support in the past. Almost, the way they tell it, like a betrayal. These people who would not give up their faith, their G-d,their moral values for any snake oil type promises or "plans"!

[vrwcagent0498]

Great piece, what I've read so far. I've always voted Republican (I only could start voting in 1984, and the choice was obvious: Ronald Reagan :) )

But I know what the Democratic Party has become, especially to my elderly, religious, CONSERVATIVE family and friends; it's a slap in the face to them, for all of their support in the past. Almost, the way they tell it, like a betrayal. These people who would not give up their faith, their G-d,their moral values for any snake oil type promises or "plans"!

[bootless]

I've only read through #5, but it's excellent so far!

[Hat-Trick]

An excellent job by Mr. Meek of detailing why the Island of Misfit Toys isn't fit for conservative habitation.

[LadyShallott]

Something has happened to the once great Democratic Party. In years past, Democrats stood for truly noble causes, such as equality and assisting the underprivileged.

My father is a very old school Democrat and to be honest he was closer to the current Republican party than any liberal I have ever met. He is the one that started me on a more conservative path than any other person I have had in my life. Unfortunately, he has chosen to stay the liberal course and has chosen to break from the old school values that I valued in my youth. Now he would vote for a horse if they were pledged to be a Democrat...It wouldn't matter what the values or the purpose was of the Democratic party. I am voting for W for a second term. :)

[Pastnowfuturealpha]

Many good points -

One - From the post: "For what conceivable reason should they stop a parent from taking advantage of public financing options to send their child to a better school? "

This one is easy to answer if you ask yourself what they are teaching the students in public schools. Socialism - and "better school" doesn't enter into their thoughts. It's control.

Many in Congress know what's going on - but the ones who want to stop it aren't powerful enough anymore - they let things go until it was too late -

just my thoughts -

[Innisfree]

My parents are former Democrats who gave up on the Democratic party after the Carter administration. They now consider themselves heterodox ---oldtime, sixties liberals who feel that the Democratic party has fallen off a cliff and become unrecognizable. They still believe in many old liberal causes, but the party simply doesn't represent them or their values anymore.

I wish that someone would do a real analytical piece on the psychological origins of liberalism.

[King Prout]

not bad.

rkbad - ping

[underbyte]

Liberalism, Communism, Socialism are all second industrial wave product holdover's, Society at the time did not have the mechanisms in place to deal with the peasant who came off the farm to work in factories i.e. No extended family's to take of them when they became ill or sick, Communism was the extream answer.(the early industrialists were brutal). This is why bush's Portable, medical IRA savings accounts are so revolutionary (third wave solution ) The Democracts are like watching the idealized movie "Reds" they are stuck in an earlier age and will fade into obscurity till they update themselves.

[nosofar]

Actually, 2% of Americans pay 45% of the federal income taxes.

I really get tired of this kind of statistic. It means nothing if you don't also specify the percentage of income this 2% recieves. If the top 2% of Americans recieve 45% of the income (and no I'm not saying they are), where's the unfairness? If you don't give the income, the 2% figure is meaningless.

[Bonaparte]

It doesn't matter if I make a trillion dollars a second -- forcing me to pay a greater percentage than others pay is punishing me for success. Not only that, it's also rewarding others for being less successful. It's wrong and it's evil.

To whatever extent you are deprived of the fruits of your own labor, to just that extent, you are a slave.

[fish hawk]

I have a few "reasons" too: George Soros, Ted Kennedy, Kerry, Edwards, Jimmuh Carter, The 'Mouth' McCauliffe, Dan Rather etal, the Clintoons, and I haven't even started on Hollywood yet!!

[bad company]

Just twelve? Slacker.

[YankeeinOkieville]

.

[fire_eye]

You might try reading Paul Johnson's "Intellectuals", and Horowitz's "Politics of Bad Faith", for at least an attempt at some insight into the psychology of Lieberals.

I doubt if any actual psychologist would attempt it, though - that would involve admitting that Lieberalism is a psychological "condition" of some sort, rather than just a "normal" state of mind - which would in turn require (a) some objectivity, and (b) introspection, on the part of the psychologist, since he/she/it would in 99% of cases already be a doctrinaire Lieberal. (They've attempted plenty of analyses of "conservatives", though, of curse...)

An oversimplified (but maybe not much) assessment claims that Lieberals are basically overgrown children who can't cope with life, are usually mad at the world, and are alternately either trying to get their surrogate Mommy/Daddy the Government to take care of them, or rebelling against it as the manifestation of a parental authority figure...

[RKBA Democrat]

King Prout: Thanks for the thought provoking ping.

I've read and the author has many salient points. So let's go to my favorite questions to ponder.

Question 1: Do you like what you see of the Democratic party circa 2004?

Question 2: (Solely for the sake of discussion, let's imagine that I already agree with the author on all of his 12 points.) How do you change the Democratic party that represents 30-40%+ of the population?

[King Prout]

1. No. I believe the current state of the Democrat Party to be nothing short of a disaster. It is bad for Dems, and it is bad for Republicans as well - Having a disloyal and vile opposition creates an opportunity for the GOP to slide into disgusting habits of its own.

2. I "change" that party one person at a time, through long-term interaction and rational discussion.

more broadly, the best way to change the Democrat Party is to kick its legs out - getting substantial numbers of their "core constituencies" to at least think about their blind devotion and evaluate their options is a start in that direction.