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Conservatism's Future


crinzema

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Conservatism based on constitutional principals and federalism, with an emphasis on personal liberty and responsibility, never fails to win a following because it works.

Our country cannot hope to still be a leader of any worth weighing down our society and government with socialist extermination or at the very least, a de-emphasis on our constitution, and the rights of the states and the people.

Liberty is progressive. It is the gift of the age of enlightenment. This desire by the so-called progressives to empower the central state can be seen as the counter-enlightenment, where the person is subordinate to the state and personal achievement is seen as odious. It is the sickness that has toppled Europe into a bureaucratic mess that it is today. We cant afford to have that happen to the US because if we go down, no one will be there to take our place, except communist China.

Conservatism, based on solid principals like I stated above, are vital to not only to us, but to the free world.

Sorry if I'm rambling.

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There is no ideology associated with conservatism. Are you referring to the platform held by the current Republican party? I will point out that if you are old enough, you will remember the term "conservative" did not come into popular discussion until Ronald Reagan took office. This was done because his political henchman, Lee Atwater sought to plastered the Democrats with the term "liberal" so they could then demonize it on social basis, and they had to have a counter. Hence conservative.

For a politician this is the best place to be because once they have established a word such as this, they can use it for endless purposes. Never mind that it is often contradictory. Once you establish Conservative = Good, Liberal = Bad, you can plaster these words everywhere and make your opponents head for the hills.

Fiscal Conservative = little government involvement in social spending.

Social Conservative = much government involvement to impose a set of morals on the people

Neo Conservative = Use America's military might to force dogma, much government spending

Financial Conservative = little government involvement in big business

Religious Conservative = government supports a defacto religion

Intellectual Conservative = huh? They used to be numerous and didn't use "Joe the Plumber" to justify a position. Think 1960s and earlier.

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In post modern America, after WWII, there were two distinct phases to the American conservative movement. The first was led by Eisenhower/Nixon/Ford. This phase lasted from 1945 to 1976. The second phase, from 1980 to present day, was basically operated by George Bush Sr and his cadre. It's the second phase that I think was most destructive to this country.

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In the last few years, the Republican party has sold out its base for short-term political gain from the religious far right, just as the democrats did with the far left earlier in the decade. The GOP has become a contradiction. Cut taxes but increase spending. Advocating personal responsibility and a mind-boggling intrusion into people's personal lives, best exemplified by their idiotic idea of a constitutional amendment against gay marriage.

Our political parties tend to take turns screwing things up. Despite what the Obama Administration tells us, I have no doubt that democratic policies will create their own set of problems, and the country will vote in a the republicans in a 5-10 years. Anyone who tells us that strictly democratic/liberal or republican/conservative agenda will solve all our problems is either an idiot or a liar. The complete lack of critical thinking in our national political discourse is maddening, which is why I avoid it as much as possible.

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Once you establish Conservative = Good, Liberal = Bad, you can plaster these words everywhere and make your opponents head for the hills.

Fiscal Conservative = little government involvement in social spending.

Social Conservative = much government involvement to impose a set of morals on the people

Neo Conservative = Use America's military might to force dogma, much government spending

Financial Conservative = little government involvement in big business

Religious Conservative = government supports a defacto religion

Intellectual Conservative = huh? They used to be numerous and didn't use "Joe the Plumber" to justify a position. Think 1960s and earlier.

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Yet people who went to American public schools managed to send people to the moon and get them back alive so they could talk about it. It's an accomplishment that has not been repeated by any other country and is but one example of what can be accomplished by students of the public school system.

The USA got to where it did because they rejected the premise of the British system at the time that education should be the province of private institutions and limited to those who could afford it. Public schools are reflective of what the local communities will put into them. The divisiveness that we have had in politics since the 1980s has also driven this wedge into the schools and ironically it is the "conservative" cause that often brings up the issue of "choice" which really is a code word for using public money to pay for education at private institutions. The irony comes from this same groups contention that public money should not be wasted on public education.

If people want to go to private school that is their business I guess. I was sent to private school by my parents for the 6th, 7th and part of the 8th grade. I am honestly very glad that I went back to public school after that and if I had had any choice in the matter and via hindsight, would have never gone to private school in the first place.

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Yet people who went to American public schools managed to send people to the moon and get them back alive so they could talk about it. It's an accomplishment that has not been repeated by any other country and is but one example of what can be accomplished by students of the public school system.

The USA got to where it did because they rejected the premise of the British system at the time that education should be the province of private institutions and limited to those who could afford it. Public schools are reflective of what the local communities will put into them. The divisiveness that we have had in politics since the 1980s has also driven this wedge into the schools and ironically it is the "conservative" cause that often brings up the issue of "choice" which really is a code word for using public money to pay for education at private institutions. The irony comes from this same groups contention that public money should not be wasted on public education.

If people want to go to private school that is their business I guess. I was sent to private school by my parents for the 6th, 7th and part of the 8th grade. I am honestly very glad that I went back to public school after that and if I had had any choice in the matter and via hindsight, would have never gone to private school in the first place.

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Yet people who went to American public schools managed to send people to the moon and get them back alive so they could talk about it. It's an accomplishment that has not been repeated by any other country and is but one example of what can be accomplished by students of the public school system.

The USA got to where it did because they rejected the premise of the British system at the time that education should be the province of private institutions and limited to those who could afford it. Public schools are reflective of what the local communities will put into them. The divisiveness that we have had in politics since the 1980s has also driven this wedge into the schools and ironically it is the "conservative" cause that often brings up the issue of "choice" which really is a code word for using public money to pay for education at private institutions. The irony comes from this same groups contention that public money should not be wasted on public education.

If people want to go to private school that is their business I guess. I was sent to private school by my parents for the 6th, 7th and part of the 8th grade. I am honestly very glad that I went back to public school after that and if I had had any choice in the matter and via hindsight, would have never gone to private school in the first place.

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I think that I said above that if an individual wants to send their child to private school that it is their business. It's written up there in English, albeit English taught in the public school system. If they want to teach them at home that is their business too. I don't really care and don't seek to change their right to do this. That somehow got changed to progressives wanting to limit choices. I don't think so.

I do agree with the comment that it amounts to checking out of society and I don't support it as I think it is bad for the kid. This comes from the view from one who has gone to private school. It is however an opinion. We all know what opinions are worth and everyone is entitled to theirs.

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Back to the general subject of this topic. News is leaking out that high profile US Senator, Arlen Specter from Pennsylvania, is going to switch parties and become a Democrat. This will have immediate consequences in the US Senate.

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I think that I said above that if an individual wants to send their child to private school that it is their business. It's written up there in English, albeit English taught in the public school system. If they want to teach them at home that is their business too. I don't really care and don't seek to change their right to do this. That somehow got changed to progressives wanting to limit choices. I don't think so.

I do agree with the comment that it amounts to checking out of society and I don't support it as I think it is bad for the kid. This comes from the view from one who has gone to private school. It is however an opinion. We all know what opinions are worth and everyone is entitled to theirs.

-----------------------------

Back to the general subject of this topic. News is leaking out that high profile US Senator, Arlen Specter from Pennsylvania, is going to switch parties and become a Democrat. This will have immediate consequences in the US Senate.

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I absolutely agree. Well said.

Let me just say that I would never ever send my kids to private schools, nor homeschool them. You can't make a better world by checking out of it.

I'm afraid that many of the people who have hijacked the Republican Party have done just that.

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Here's the future of conservatism, at least locally:

Kent County Republican Party cancels visit by Utah Governor over his support of civil unions

Jeesh. What a bunch of dogmatic doorknobs. Return to what roots? Seems like civil unions and individual liberties go hand in hand with historical conservative principles. The longer these zealots continue to hold leadership positions in the Republican Party, the sooner it will sink into obscurity.

Even the most conservative area in the country (SLC) doesn't have a big problem with this guy's stance on civil unions.

Maybe she thinks it means "unions" as in UAW unions? :rofl::dontknow:

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Here's the future of conservatism, at least locally:

Kent County Republican Party cancels visit by Utah Governor over his support of civil unions

Jeesh. What a bunch of dogmatic doorknobs. Return to what roots? Seems like civil unions and individual liberties go hand in hand with historical conservative principles. The longer these zealots continue to hold leadership positions in the Republican Party, the sooner it will sink into obscurity.

Even the most conservative area in the country (SLC) doesn't have a big problem with this guy's stance on civil unions.

Maybe she thinks it means "unions" as in UAW unions? :rofl::dontknow:

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Like i've said before, a political ideology is not defined by one individual. We can snipe examples of crazy individuals on either side all day long. If I had a bad pizza at a local pizza shop, would that make subs better than pizzas? Same reasoning.
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The American public school system is a brain washing, immoral, prison camp. Any caring parent would be crazy to send their children to public school.

Please forgive me for bringing up morality up here. Please look the word up in a dictionary to learn about morality.

~John

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The American public school system is a brain washing, immoral, prison camp. Any caring parent would be crazy to send their children to public school.

Please forgive me for bringing up morality up here. Please look the word up in a dictionary to learn about morality.

~John

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Well, assuming private means religious education, yes, it does in a way (in my opinion). Assuming that people who send their kids to religious schools also attend church, and teach their religion/faith at home, it seems to add another layer by sending their kids to religious school totally puts the child in a world of a very narrow focus. I fail to see how it would be "engaging" their child in the world around him/her, exposing them to people of other cultures, religions, belief systems.

Unless there's some educational benefit of religious schools that I'm not aware of. But from what I know, the people who I know who attended private religious school did not even come close to the offerings (both academic and non-academic) that I received in public school.

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Very good point. I would have to say, however, that the biggest benefit to public education is that it is free (in a sense). Unlike private schools which charge tuition, public schools uphold the value that every child has a chance to be educated. I believe in that and will always support public education based on that principal. I think we are getting a little off topic with this thread, however, when we are talking about education and not the conservative movement.

I have to disagree with you here. I attended GRCS K-12, and that school district is anything but a failure to "engage their children in the world around them." I took numerous cultural enrichment classes, many of my religion classes focused not on the Christian religion, but more on middle eastern/Asian religions, and I would say roughly half the teachers are liberal democrats. We had a student organization dedicated to diversity. We learned about evolution. We learned foreign languages. We traveled to other countries. We had foreign exchange students. The only difference is that we learned the material from a perspective that we should use our talents for the good of God instead of ourselves.

However, I can't speak for other religious schools.

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