It's amazing, for an era in which human beings have more access to political debate, discussion, and analysis than ever before...for an era in which, 24 hours a day, you can turn on several cable channels and watch two people on a split screen debate every hot-button political issue making news...for an era in which there are blogs and websites dedicated to a painstaking breakdown of even the most minute and fringe political positions...there remains one question that is amazingly almost never asked...
Why do Conservatives believe as they do?
Over the next month or so, the focus of this blog will be to answer that very question (or at least, to answer the question of why *this* Conservative believes as he does). I really don't think that too many people (of whatever political stripe) set out in search of a political movement that they can "belong" to, but instead--over time--find that one political philosophy better fits their core values and beliefs much more so than other political philosophies do. The one exception might be Freshman and Sophomore College Girls...some of them seem to be in such need of attention that they sometimes seek out all sorts of "causes" that they really know nothing about, aside from what was printed in a flier that was handed to them in the student union. You then see them in high-traffic areas of most Universities protesting whatever the "cause of the day" is: Freeing Tibet, Saving The Whales, The Clubbing of Baby Seals, Veganism, Global Warming (or back in the 70's, "Global Cooling"), Social Justice, Wage Peace (whatever the Hell that is), Darfur, The Oppression of Being Pressured to Wear Undergarments and Shave Their Legs...the list is virtually endless. The upside to this is that on occasion, some of these girls will disrobe and run through campus naked while trying to raise awareness about whatever their "cause" is this week. Sometimes, they'll even participate in one of those naked PETA protests. The downside is that many of these girls aren't terribly attractive--so much of the nudity is wasted. Nevertheless, within a couple of years, most of these "misery chicks" grow out of this immature political posturing and re-acquaint themselves with the reasons they went to college in the first place...to get a degree, get a good-paying job, and meet a charming future Doctor or Lawyer who has a better-paying job. Those that don't grow out of it...well, they become bitter spinsters who spend their lives working for non-profit organizations, listening to Indigo Girl albums repeatedly, going to Margaret Cho concerts, and constantly complaining about how some sort of "male-dominated power structure" has held them back from doing somethingorother.
...in other words, they become Nancy Pelosi.
But I digress..
Ok, as I was saying before I slightly veered off track--most people don't set out to change their core values to fit some sort of political philosophy, but instead--with the benefit of time and life experience--find a political philosophy that fits the core values and beliefs that they already have. And so it is with me, your friendly neighborhood CWG. For much of my life--up until around my late 20's--I had a passing interest in politics at best. I'd vote in Presidential elections and "bigger" Congressional races, but I rarely thought about what my overall political philosophy was. But all the time, my beliefs of right and wrong, fair and unfair, good and bad, were always fairly consistent. As I got older, more mature, and more reflective, I started to examine the key core values that I brought to the voting booth--and discovered that Conservatism fit these beliefs much better than Liberalism, Libertarianism, or any of the other "isms" that show up on the spectrum of political thought.
As I look back on my life and my political development, I've identified 12 Key Core Values that I bring to my politics--both in my early political experiences (when I mistakenly thought of myself as a...*gasp*...moderate. And you have no idea how ashamed I am to admit that), and in my current place in life where I gladly and proudly proclaim myself as a Conservative. While some Conservatives might not agree with all of these core values, I believe that most modern Conservatives can at least identify with a majority of them. These 12 beliefs are everything that I feel Modern Conservatism--and indeed, America as a whole--should embody. These values do not come from a book, a pundit, or any Political Science course, but instead come from my 30+ years of living in the greatest nation to ever grace the Earth.:
CWG'S 12 KEY CORE VALUES OF CONSERVATISM:
1. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
2. "Equality" and "Fairness" are not synonyms...these terms CANNOT be used interchangeably.
3. Success should be encouraged, not vilified.
4. When I choose to help somebody, it is charity. When the government forces me to "help" somebody, it is theft. Robin Hood was not someone to be admired, he was a thief to be brought to justice.
5. America is, by and large, a pretty good place. American Culture is, far and away, the greatest culture in all of human history.
6. You are your own Leader.
7. Politicians are human too--which is exactly why limited government is preferable.
8. I don't care what you do in your bedroom--but I do care when you expose my kids to it.
9. The Needs, Goals, and Desires of the individual are infinitely more important than the Needs, Goals, and Desires of any perceived "Community".
10. The truth hurts...but is beneficial for us in the long run (which is why Political Correctness is extremely destructive)
11. War is Hell...and it is also very necessary at key points in history.
12. It takes a village to raise an idiot--it takes a family to raise a child.
There they are--the 12 Core Values that shaped my political beliefs (as well as many of my beliefs on life in general). I believe that many of these values are shared by Modern Conservatives, as well. To that end, I will be taking the month of August to go through these values, one by one, and illustrate how each relates to Conservatism...and how each of these Core values are ideas that will stand our nation (and ourselves as individuals) in good stead as we move forward through history.
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