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
Considering how many lives were lost (and how much money spent) defeating fascism in Germany and Japan, I think maintaining a presence in their country is an investment in not having to do that again.
At least McCain understands the WoT. Paul is a complete idiot in that department.
You obviously answered your own question with the list of Paul's "credentials."
No one in his right mind can, nor does support him.
Yes, and that enemy is Obama and his democrat party.
And I use the term 'dangerous' seriously.
It’s as though the elections in November are a game to them and ditto for election 2012. Mind boggling.
Sarah bashing and trashing is blood sport here and it’s not pretty. Vicious attacks on her in the attempt to define her for her endorsement and support of her former runningmate, when in fact, Sarah Palin has grown into a much larger and more important national figure than the senator from Arizona.
Marxist Obama and his demonic party are the enemy and they must defeated if we are to restore our Republic. Our fight is ON!
Paul believes in cutting and running while we were fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Supplying the rest of a quote is “beating up?”
The Balkan Wars were not in the interests of US security, whereas the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars are - and that’s the entire problem with the Paultards, they can’t tell the difference. But, then again, if they could, they wouldn’t be Paultards.
I too would like clarification of the term "religious right." It is used as a pejorative by the left, and by the Rockefeller Repubs, and was used as such here.
Clarification is necessary.
You’re much too kind, SoConPubbie.
rabscuttle385’s postings about Sarah Palin have been blood sport for months.
Ron Paul didn't think we should American troops to the other side of the world to bring democracy to a bunch of intercine muslim religious nutcases who were doing a pretty good job of offing themselves and who could care less about freedom to begin with.
We ended up deposing a dictator so we could create a country whose constitution is based on Shria Law.
You tell me...how does that help the war on TERROR.
It's how he operates. He runs away.
OK. At least I know where you're coming from.
The LEFT.
Have you been asleep for the past 7 years?
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