Conservatism 101

A blog that Scott Edwards and I had created back in September. One of my posts. I am ready to write again..

Posted – 04.18.09 at 12:03pm

Written: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2008 - Conservatism 101

I was talking to one of my dear friends the other night who is attending Columbia for his second Masters. He is an Obama supporter and a life-long Democrat. He understands that I am a Conservative and a McCain/Palin supporter. We are friends and we have had long debates over what is "right" and what is "left."

At the end of our friendly phone call, he made a point to tell me, "You know, liberals are the smartest and most educated in our country." To which I replied, "Well, I consider myself smart and educated, and I am not a liberal." And this is the impetus for my writing this blog.

It is a wonder to me that someone, who believes to know--because they have had the luxury of an Ivy league education--what is best for the average American. It is a wonder to me that one thinks that he has a better understanding of "Joe the Plumber's" needs, because he hires a guy like Joe to fix his plumbing. (Hey, I hire a plumber too. They are what makes things "run"). And, it is a wonder to me that this person thinks that he or his colleagues are "smarter" because of their Ivy league education.

Elitism? At its' finest. Please do not tell me that I am not the "most" smart or educated because I am not a Ivy League Intellectual. Ivy league education is a privilege. Hard knocks are not, but they can be an advantage.

As an American, I hope to have the freedom and the choices to know what is best for me, my family, my community and my country.

Look, most of us, in our own way, contribute to this country--whether it be through time, work, taxes or charity. We all have a common interest in doing what is best for ourselves and for our community. But, we all have a different opinion on how our contributions are allocated and recognized. The difference, the sheer difference, between a liberal and a conservative is this: A liberal will tell you how they will spend your money. A conservative will let you spend it how you see fit. If you don't have any money? Well, FDR put in place the first of many programs that have been abused by the federal government and welfare opportunists. I am not saying that these programs are not needed, but these programs were developed on assistance, NOT on dependence.

Now come the Taxes! Social Security. AMT. Local Taxes. Federal Taxes. State Taxes. Gas Taxes. Food Taxes. Retail Taxes. Property Taxes. Death taxes. Marriage Taxes. Capital Gains Taxes. Property Taxes. Liquor/Tobacco Taxes. User Taxes. And the list goes on and on and on and on.

Now, imagine my surprise when I hear that Obama/Biden want to just tax more. Instead of creating opportunity, they choose to inhibit it by giving handouts. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had forced banks to lend to anyone and everyone. No docs? No problem! The list of government programs and opportunities for the "needy" go on and on and on. WHERE DOES ALL THE MONEY GO? HOW HAVE THESE PROGRAMS, IN THE LAST 30 YEARS, LIFTED THE POOR OUT OF POVERTY? Oh, and by the way, if you ever want to pay more taxes because you feel like you haven't paid enough, there is a form for that. Talk to your accountant.

You see, most of use working, middle class, Americans DO NOT have an Ivy League education. Most of us working Americans do pay taxes. Most of us working American's have never wanted kids to go without education, elderly to go without healthcare, and the environment to go without consideration and conservation. Yet, as a conservative, I am constantly accused of wanting destruction of these very issues. This is simply not the case.

Us conservatives are constantly being accused as a party of the "wealthy." What is most ironic about this statement? Many conservatives do not have an Ivy league education. Many conservatives are not wealthy. We are hard working and educated and eager to lessen government intervention. We are eager to spur entrepreneurship, job creation, smart funding for those who truly, truly need it, with hopes of creating opportunity for those that are able to achieve and want a piece of the American dream.

All of these aforementioned programs have not solved the poverty crisis. Democrats, for the past 30 plus years, have expanded these programs, through excessive taxation, in order to make their constituents reliant on their party. Entrepreneurs and small business take on huge amounts of risk. Liberals do not reward risk--they tax it.

Conservatives have a fundamental belief that government has gotten too large and too complicated. We recognize need and are, therefore, the most charitable of the parties. It is a fact.

So I close in asking this: If liberals are so smart and the most educated, why am I even writing this blog? They have had numerous opportunities and years to right the wrongs. They say they are the champions of the middle class--I guess Joe the Plumber doesn't fit their middle class profile.

The next four years will prove whether entrepreneurship and risk thrive, or if we have created a larger dependency on government. If conservatism has a chance, we will not forget where we came from and what led us to losing our direction in this election.

I am Miss Tory, and I approve of this message.

By Megan Barth – Megan’s Note

Posted:  Daily Thought Pad

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• American Progressivism – Part Two 
  
• American Progressivism – Part Three
  
• American Progressivism - Parts Four and Five

Joe The Plumber to Campaign for John McCain

October 27, 2008 11:10 PM

ABC News' Bret Hovell reports: Joe Wurzelbacher, aka “Joe the Plumber,” will campaign tomorrow in Ohio for Senator John McCain.

Wurzelbacher, the Toledo-area native, will go on a bus tour with former Rep. Rob Portman, a close McCain supporter, and a number of small business people.

It will be the first time Wurzelbacher has been out to campaign for the McCain ticket since he approached Barack Obama some weeks back to ask about Obama’s tax policy, and became a part of McCain’s stump speech.

McCain, and his running mate Sarah Palin, have made “Joe the Plumber” a central part of their campaign, mentioning him at nearly every stop as a way of illustrating how, they argue, Barack Obama’s tax plans will affect average Americans.

And for those of you who have questions about Joe because of the liberal media coverage:

Actually, the guy is a plumber. He works for his boss under his ticket like THOUSANDS of others in Ohio. He is also getting his own ticket and has almost finished.

Fact is, he was talking about buying his bosses plumbing business. And Obama gave a dumb answer so lets rip the guys life apart to find any dirt they can right?

There is no doubt that Joe the Plumber is a republican. There is no doubt McCain has used him. But there is no doubt Joe the Plumber is going to campaign for the guy he wants to win.

However, they VETTED the guy long before all this. They VETTED him when he was just a guy asking Obama a question in his own driveway.

Like good little FASCISTS, the Obama camp ripped the guy apart. This is just an example of Obama Thugocracy and what is to come if Obama is elected... Now we know and see an example of the ugly truth.

NEVER disagree with Obama. He will send his SS after you.

Heil Obama !!!!

Join Joe the Plumber, an Average American, Vote McCain-Palin... For Lower Taxes & Patriotism!!

Thought For The Day - 09.28.08

“JFK and LBJ knew a thing or two about politics and governing. They understood with Solomon-like wisdom that, ‘there is a time to campaign, and a time to break off campaigning’.  It’s a leadership thing.”

 Americans are interesting people when it comes to politics and politicians.  We are proud of our freedoms and most of us are willing to die for them, yet we come out in very low numbers for elections, especially local elections, even when the results affect us directly and immediately. 

We hold the first amendment and freedom of speech close to our hearts but are usually hesitant to talk politics, in fear of offending someone, and are usually more worried about being politically correct than we are about having the wrong person elected or having a misguided proposition pass. 

We will tell our friends when they’ve made a fashion mistake or often even when they’ve chosen the wrong partner, but we hesitate to pass along information about candidates or their positions, even when we know our information is correct and our friend or associate is confused or uninformed.  Part of the process should be debate and discussion, and not only between the candidates. 

Americans also put their candidates and politicians on pedestals, and we want them to be perfect, while simultaneously wanting them to be just like us, an average Joe or Jane.  Which when you think about it, is obviously completely contradictory and impossible.  We want our candidates or have come from Middle America having shared in ‘every man’s common experiences’, yet we don’t want them to have had to accept any help or to be beholden to anyone through their process of election, which is less likely if they come from a background of means and connections, so again is naïve and almost impossible.  And while we do want them to have experienced what we all have, we are intolerant of any scandals or even the normal teenage and college behaviors that their generation experienced, in their backgrounds  We want them to be above that, better than the average, but not ‘above us’, again a total contradiction.  

We also want our politicians to be well educated, well spoken, polished and full of promise, yet very few of us take the time to really find out what they stand for; often leaning toward the candidate that sparkles instead of the candidate of substance.  And then when we do have a clear choice, including someone with experience, a good record, and perhaps even something special about them like heroism, exceptional service or records of charity or kindness, we decide to vote for the other person, with less experience, no or little record and maybe with even a questionable background.  And then when their promises turn out to be nothing more than rhetoric, we are disappointed with what we got. 

We vote for change when we want stability.   We wait for years for a female presidential or vice presidential candidate and then we don’t support their ticket.  We vote for the new guy, forgetting that we elected the Washington outsider last time and it didn’t work out so well.  And we feel proud and safe during uncertain times when represented by someone who we know that has dedicated their life to the service of our Country and then we support and even elect someone we don’t know that really doesn’t have a clue. 

It is probably a miracle that the experiment in self-government that we know as the United States has done as well as it has and is still around.  Perhaps it is time for us to get a clue!  

Another Corporate Bailout By The US Govt

Today... the U.S. Government bailed out AIG with a loan for $85 billion... yes billion with a "B".

Billions for AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ernst and Young...and the list goes on.  And then you hear that the people who ran these companies into the ground are getting severence packages for millions.

Hello... if Average Joe American screws up at work, they fire him, without a dime, and usually badmouth him as the door is hitting him in the fanny on his way out.

This is my idea... let all those companies fail.  Let the people who live in the houses or have car loans with these failed companies keep them for free instead and then take the money you would have loaned these companies and divy it out among all the Americans and legal residents who didn't get a house or car paid for.