Posted on 05/28/2015 10:02:10 AM PDT by Kaslin
Most Americans, including most Republicans, do not understand what “conservative” philosophy, principles, and policies are.
Merriam-Webster defines conservative as “believing in the philosophy of conservatism,” which it defines as “belief in the value of established and traditional practices in politics and society; dislike of change or new ideas in a particular area.”
However, this definition is wrong. The root of conservatism lies in the concept of “ordered liberty” and the fundamental truth that human rights are God-given, not man-made and that individual liberty and freedom are birthrights.
Calvin Coolidge, America’s 30th president—perhaps the most conservative president of the last century—emphasized the underpinning conservative principle of the rule of law rests solely on “the divine origin of mankind.”
In his speech, The Price of Freedom, Coolidge emphasized that in America’s founding documents “there resulted the recognition that freedom was a birthright. It was the natural and inalienable condition of beings who were created ‘a little lower than the angels.’ With it went the principle of equality, not an equality of possessions, not an equality of degree, but an equality in the attributes of humanity, an equality of kind. Each is possessed of the divine power to know the truth.”
Likewise, conservative commentator Dennis Prager defines conservatism by what he calls “The American Trinity,” which preserves three fundamental truths. First, “In God We Trust” is the foundation for the rule of law. Manmade laws are designed to protect God-given human rights. From that, “E Pluribus Unum,” a unified and diverse people are encouraged to live peaceably, with “liberty” in their pursuit of happiness.
Within the American Trinity and republican form of government, the electorate determines the moral and ethical decisions and laws through representatives acting on their behalf. In theory, the electorate governs through limited local, state, and federal governments that restrain and punish the malfeasant and enable ingenuity, personal responsibility, entrepreneurship, creativity, and a range of its citizens’ pursuits.
The electorate may redefine and change moral and legal constraints but conservatism does not.
Because conservatism fundamentally values life, conservative policies will seek to protect it. Pro-life policies include economic, racial, and societal freedoms regardless of circumstances or socio-economic and political climates. Conservative policies are dictated by conservative principles, not the reverse.
Dividing conservatism between social/fiscal policies is a false dichotomy. The root of conservatism is not laissez-faire economic policies that create personal financial profit and power, but principles that value life-giving activities that improve societal welfare.
Conservatism guided Coolidge to relieve a country crippled by debt and severe economic depression, institutionalized segregation, and class warfare to eliminate the progressive policies Woodrow Wilson and Congress created. Progressives devalued life by institutionalizing oligarchy in America through the 1913 Federal Reserve Act, segregating federal employees, and making illegal interracial marriage.
Coolidge evidenced fiscal responsibility by significantly reducing tax rates and the national debt by nearly one third. Debt, he argued, stifled freedom, limited entrepreneurship and economic growth. He advocated for personal responsibility and accountability through the rule of law, attempting to make illegal lynching and racial segregation, and hate crimes. He also sought to create national commissions to help bridge racial divides—yet progressives fought him at every step.
Contrary to Merriam-Webster’s definition of conservatism, that it “dislike(s) change or new ideas in a particular area,” conservatives have consistently opposed the status quo. Instead, seeking to change the law in order to protect human rights, especially when the law seeks to eliminate equality of natural rights and regulate equality of outcomes.
In this way progressivism replace ordered liberty, the American Trinity, and the principles “No God, No Liberty” and “the divine origin of mankind” with “No God/Morality,” and “No Unity,” and “No Liberty.”
“In God We Trust” is replaced by a Godless society that teaches children the state, not God, creates rights and defines morality. “E Pluribus Unum” (of the many, one) is replaced with divisive policies (of the many, many) and “Liberty,” with regulated inequality. In response to this approach Prager reasons, “I can’t think of anything more demeaning than to tell a group we will change the rules and lower the standards just for you.”
In the name of “progress” individual exceptionalism, ingenuity, creativity, successes and failures and the lessons learned from them are restricted and penalized. Yet, as history has shown “equating” economic or social outcomes results in repeatedly failed consequences that devalue life and eliminate human rights.
Conservatives support policies designed to safeguard the principles of the American Trinity and ordered liberty and thwart attempts to weaken and ultimately destroy them.
“The durability of Conservatism has depended, to a great extent,
on it being a disposition rather than a philosophy.
What marks Conservatives out, across the generations,
and whatever the environment they operate in,
is an attitude of mind rather than an adherence to dogma.”
+1
Sounds very much like Russell Kirk.
Some nations have order without justice or freedom; these we usually call tyrannies. Other nations have freedom—for a while—without justice or order; such conditions we call anarchy. The founders of the American Republic, equally detesting tyranny and anarchy, determined to establish an enduring political constitution that would recognize the claims of justice, order, and freedom, and that would allow no excessive demands upon the part of any one of these three principles. Such a state, in which interests are balanced and harmonized by good laws, Aristotle had called a “polity.” Our American polity is a regime of ordered liberty, designed to give justice and order and freedom all their due recognition and part.
An extreme Leftist! The misuse of the word "Liberal"--both in Academia & the Mass Media--of course, largely also describes extreme Leftists or Marxist Influenced Pseudo-Intellectual Poseurs ("Mipips").
All of the evils that you describe result from the compulsive need to pretend that everyone & all "life-styles" are equal. Egalitarianism is the "Gift" That Keeps On Taking.
His rhetoric notwithstanding, JFK was a Leftist; perhaps a tad less so than brother Teddy, but a Leftist.
And, you seem to post under quite a few
different names here at the good old FR.
List a few so I can go check them out. It would be interesting to see what I wrote. If you do, it would much appreciated on this end.
Thoughts by Bernie Sanders - (socialist running for President as a progressivet....)
What to know the definition of ‘liberal’?
“A man goes home and masturbates his typical fantasy,” wrote Sanders. “A woman on her knees. A woman tied up. A woman abused.”
Sanders didn’t specify as to how he had gained such a deep understanding of the male psyche.
In terms of his understanding of female sexual fantasies, Sanders provided similar insight.
“A woman enjoys intercourse with her man–as she fantasizes about being raped by 3 men simultaneously.”
This essay is one of those simplistic things that anyone who calls himself conservative can agree with, and anyone who calls himself a liberal can say is a pack of lies to make conservatives look better than we are.
I did appreciate the shout out to Coolidge, one of the best presidents we ever had.
Something tells me if you substituted Bernie for Man and Woman in the quote, it would be closer to the truth. Like when someone comes up to you and says, “ a friend of mine has this problem, see. “
By that definition then, McConnell is a staunch conservative, since he wants to 'conserve' the status quo in Washington DC, with its unique privileges for the elite, and keep the coffers full of contributions pouring in from the crony capitalists.
He likes things just the way they are...
"I've always considered the root to conservative is 'conserve' and politically speaking, a conservative conserves the original idea of America ... personal liberty, freedom with property ownership ... armed.
FReepers beware that there are probably lots of conservatives who have never been taught about the federal government’s constitutionally limited powers, more specifically the Constitution’s Section 8 of Article I.
The 17th Amendment needs to be repealed.
What does the 17th Amendment have to do with the subject? Please stick to subject or don't comment at all
When Bernie Sanders announced his candidacy a few weeks ago he said something that surprised me. Unlike all his other “Progressives” colleges he admitted that the unemployment rate is more like 11% than 5% or something like that as the administration claims
The problem with the country is not Republicans who don’t have a grip on “conservatism” as defined by the corrupt media imo. The problem with the country is many low-information patriots who blindly support the corrupt federal Senators that they elected because they have no idea what Congress’s constitutional Article I, Section 8-limited powers are.
Did I hear somebody mention Sen. Mitch McConnell?
If conservatives don’t reconnect themselves with the federal government’s constitutionally limited power and use their voting power to peacefully force the corrupt feds to surrender 10th Amendment-protected state powers that the feds have stolen from the states back to the states, then it’s only a matter of time until somebody as lawless as Obama controls the Oval Office again regardless of any “conservative” lawmakers that patriots send to DC in the name of rescuing patriots form the unconstitutionally big federal government.
I’m out of this thread.
There are primary distinctions between the Right and the Left:
The Right: Recognize government is under God. That some truths are self-evident; e.g. Marriage = man & woman. That government does not create rights. That government is not a moral authority. That man is fallen and the most assured limit on corruption in government is to limit the purview and powers of government officials.
'Conservatism' is NOT about imposing through government a status quo. Rather, conservatism is about opposing government imposed morality 'progress' RE: a government religion e.g. Fascism...
- The Theme is Freedom:
- Religion, Politics, and the American Tradition
by M. Stanton Evansis an excellent book. It makes the point that conservatism preserves the theme of the society in which it exists. Russian conservatism is different from American conservatism, for example, because Russian traditions are different from American traditions. Anyone trying to impose the traditions of one society on another society is not conservative.
It is also the case that American conservatives are actually progressive. If you want to conserve respect for the Constitution, you will have no trouble at all with the idea that it is legitimate for the government "to promote the progress of science and useful arts." It's right there in Section 8 of Article I. You could look it up.
Maybe he’s too old to be a typical liberal liar...
The unfairly derided Harding was a conservative as well.
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