Posted on 04/03/2010 10:51:43 AM PDT by rabscuttle385
"If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism." — Ronald Reagan
Nonconformist: of or characterized by behavior or views that do not conform to prevailing ideas or practices.
Recently Fox's Glenn Beck offered citizens a quiz to pinpoint where they fall in their political beliefs. The Nolan Chart (www.nolanchart.com/survey.php) provides questions which when answered honestly will place the responder somewhere on the political spectrum depicting conservative-libertarian-liberal-statist-centrist sections. Citizens who consider themselves conservative might be surprised to find they're somewhere between conservative and libertarian.
Commentators have had a difficult time labeling tea party citizens. Many are disillusioned democrats and republicans; some call themselves independents. Most have been active voters for decades. After all the emailing, letters and sending pink slips to Congress; after marching on Washington — citizen-protestors are still not taken very seriously in Washington.
Some commentators have suggested that Republican-Libertarian Rep. Ron Paul is responsible for the grassroots Tea Party movement rising up against the present Washington chaos. The truth is Paul's 2008 presidential campaign ignited long-held frustrations and also educated some of the younger generation regarding constitutional principles.
Considered a "kook" by many of his congressional peers, Paul may be the only sane one there. This is the man who just returned $100,000 of his congressional budget back to the U.S. Treasury. His congressional frugality borders on treason within free-spending Congress. Nicknamed "Dr. No" because of his thriftiness, he votes no to any legislation unless it adheres to the Constitution.
So is Paul crazy? Of course not. He's much like all citizens who are conscientiously watching their money and budgets. Regrettably there aren't enough libertarian-doers in Congress who would stop the decades of runaway-spending and cut the government down to constitutional size.
There are signs that some Libertarian-thinking citizens are running on 2010 Republican congressional tickets. These are the same people along with constitutionalists who have suffered through the frustrations of watching Washington unabashedly kill the U.S. Constitution.
One such citizen is Liberty Republican John Dennis (www.johndennis2010.com) who is running against Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco's 8th District. On congressional leaders, Dennis says:
"I think of them as far away from leadership as anything I can imagine. We are in debt ...when you add up the current debt, the unfunded liabilities, the backstops to banks, loans, all the bailouts — our quote-unquote leaders have put us all in debt to the tune of $300,000 apiece. That's not leadership. Many have the nerve to call themselves conservatives but are they really at the end of the day? — 94 percent of the house members are reelected, continually with the idea of keeping their jobs."
Reagan also said, "The federal government has taken too much tax money from the people, too much authority from the states, and too much liberty with the Constitution."
Ronald Reagan was right in his assessment of conservatism's heart. So, why do we not elect more of these sane budget-conscious thinkers to Congress? If it is conservative to hold to principles concerning budgets, reducing the National Debt, taxes and holding government to constitutional restraints, why hasn't it happened?
Most tea party citizens have long been exasperated by the federal government's "broad-constructionist" interpretation of the U.S. Constitution which has led to a distinct decline of our Republic and Civil Liberties. In case you don't know what kind of interpretation that is — think Al Gore's declaration that "the U.S. Constitution is a living document." In other words, it changes with the seasons.
The founders' constitutional intent is never taken into account by such interpretation. Otherwise, we would never have had social security, medicare, medicaid, subsidies for farmers and businesses — growing the federal government far beyond its constitutional responsibilities.
Maybe it's time that libertarian thinkers have the opportunity to turn our nation around and bring down the National Debt before bankruptcy and a real Great Depression become reality. They certainly couldn't do any worse than what we've been subjected to for the last 100 years. Let's hope it's not too late.
Given a choice, the elite Washington free-spending crowd or the nonconforming Libertarian-Republicans, citizens may just choose the ones who adhere to the U.S. Constitution over and against the careerist so-called conservative Republicans and liberal-progressive Democrats.
© Bonnie Alba
Not only do I think they are not representative of the grass roots Tea Party movement, but I think they are detrimental to what the Tea Parties stand for.
As one of America’s longest “career politicians” Paul is a professional at raising his money and keeping a rabid group of loyalists around him.
One thing that must annoy Ron Paul though, is that he could never break out of being a rural Congressman, during his 40 years of politics, he could never convince any larger constituency that he was credible, or desirable as a leader.
Speaking of tea parties, I wanted to thank you for going to DC plus your pics and reports of the demonstrations the weekend of the “health care destruction act”.
The sentiment is great! The exemplar really blows!
Even though we "failed" (at least temporarily), we will always know, and will be able to tell our kids and grandkids that we didn't stand idly by while Marxist usurpers tried to take away our liberty.
We will NOT stand down. They will NOT win this war.
Sounds like Sandra Bullock’s and Jesse James’ marriage.
Our resolve needs to be far sighted and continual. It's not an option.
Did you intentionally leave out what else he said in the 1975 quote?
"Now, I can’t say that I will agree with all the things that the present group who call themselves Libertarians in the sense of a party say, because I think that like in any political movement there are shades, and there are libertarians who are almost over at the point of wanting no government at all or anarchy."
Prepare for much “righteous” rationalizations and much irreligious invective about one of the truest conservatives in government today.
Libertarians can go straight to hell!
Can anyone define “non-conformist?” All the non-conformists I know conform to each other.
"We" outnumber "them" by millions. We can win, and we must.
So you oppose Christian conservatives. Is that what we are to understand from your hostile post?
Why are y’all beating up Rabs?
Seems to me if you want to take issue with the article you should be beating up Bonnie Alba. She wrote it.
Y’all are unfairly shooting the messenger.
I oppose "compassionate conservatives" who think it's the job of the Government to "do the Lord's work" yet squeal like stuck piglets when that same Government threatens to curtail their freedoms and liberties.
Right. He is a third party voter and Ron Paul supporter, so he has no skin the Republican party.
Sorry, but Rabs is a well-known Paultard and third-party advocate. The shoe fits.
One thing I know for sure though, rab, son. YOU are not a Christian conservative.
Libertarianism is NOT Conservatism.
Libertarianism is a reaction (like in "reactionary") to the authoritarian mandate of Leftism. That is all it is. It is an understandable phenomenon, like a juvenile rebelling against the constant oversight of his parents, but that is all it is. Although certainly it can become violent.
Indeed Leftism arises from so much liberalism that the entire internal moral consciousness of the individual is lost and abandoned. Thus centralized authoritarian mandate becomes necessary even for the simplest social commerce.
Conservatism is the recognition and commitment to personal responsibility, hardly libertarianism. It is personal responsibility, its recognition, its practice, its insistence in all, that allows each of us to pursue our own decisions, in an atmosphere of freedom. It is being a mature adult, as opposed to leftism and libertarianism, i.e. manifestations of juveniles.
How obvious is that? How obvious is this juvenilism in millions of college students, Harvard Professors, government careerists, Barack Obama, numerous politicians?
One is honest with one's self and responsible, or a problem to America.
Julian Jaynes makes this wonderfully clear. But many many historic figures before do likewise, e.g. Plato, Buddha, Christ, Shakespeare, Voltaire, H.G,Wells, GBS (in a convoluted way).
And then there is the New York Times, CBS, NBC, Bill Clinton, George Soros, Nancy Pelosi, Henry Waxman, Chuck Schumer, Barack Obama, Henry Gates. What a joke on America.
The terrible spin of the LEFT (sinister in Latin) has distorted the perspective of American civilization. And "they" own the Media.
How obvious is it?
Johnny Suntrade
I applaud Christian conservatives.
The “religious” right is a political arm and one that I have observed to use tactics and methods that do a great injustice to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
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