WHO WE ARE

The Gunny was talking with a black liberal the other day who was so full of lies concerning Conservatism, that the Gunny wants to set the record STRAIGHT of WHO WE ARE! (B.A., this one is for you.)

What is Conservatism?

Conservatism, in the Latin (conservare), means, "to preserve." It is not an ideology but a philosophy, an attitude, a set of beliefs that there are no guarantees in life. We’re born with the freedom to achieve or not to achieve as we will. There is no guarantee that with our hard work that we will prosper but there is a guarantee that if we DO strive, work hard, and never quit, that we WILL NOT lose in the end. We are thus born with the freedom to live, work, earn, learn, and win, OR NOT, as we so choose. There are winners and there are losers and all we ask as Conservatives is a level playing field and thus, we demand that the Government, of the people, by the people, and for the people, protects and enshrines the rights granted to us by the Creator. Our Founders KNEW THIS and they drafted the Constitution that holds that the government has no other purpose than to protect out God-given Right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness. The government then, has no right to intrude into my life through redistribution schemes, ponzi scams like Social Security, excessive regulations, gun control, etc.

Conservatism, when spoken from the heart, supports a free enterprise capitalism (which is why Van Jones, Obama, and Dems ATTACK it so vociferously), law and order, minimal governmental intervention in the free market, continuation of our history, customs, and traditions, individual freedom, and gradual change through established methods, which ensures stability and continuity, which is WHY the USA has been so prosperous since our creation. Conservatism WORKS whereas abject liberalism, as seen in France, (change for the change for the sake of the change), is a dramatic failure. Conservatism is an AID to a free society whereas Liberalism is a drain on it.

As to what Obama is doing to our economy (running up 14 TRILLION in debt), the father of modern Conservatism, Edmund Burke, argued, "a government does not have the right to run up large debts and then throw the burden on the taxpayer." (Reflections on the Revolution in France) Yet today, and in the past, for let us remember that the Liberals held the Congress for over 50 YEARS, they have spent willy-nilly and passed the shafting onto us and WE ACCEPTED IT! Now we are awake and fighting back, thank God.

Conservatism ensures that the principles on which this country was founded are grounded in our inalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, not in the unlimited powers of government to regulate every aspect of our lives, which is the basis of Liberalism. The Pursuit of Happiness means that the government does NOT guarantee everyone’s happiness but rather, that every American has the right to pursue whatever happiness may mean to THEM! As a free individual in a free society. If what YOU pursue does not infringe on the rights of another American, then YOU GO BOY! THAT, fellow patriots, is THE essence of a powerful set of concepts that shook the world in 1776.

We, as a free people, KNOW that Socialism was a failure even before Marx wrote his bullsh*t, simply by reading the diary of Governor Bradford. That is why WE, as Americans, are unique in the world because our Founders saw so clearly that individualism was the road to prosperity, strength, and freedom that they enshrined the rights of the individual above the rights of the "common good" or the collective as the Left knows it. Once again, we are, from 1776 to the present, A FREE PEOPLE, with individual freedom and individual responsibility. In other words, WE, as Americans, have the freedom to live our lives however we wish, as an employee in Walmart, a bum, or a CEO, and the life however you choose to live it. But the upshot of our freedom is that YOU, I/WE/US MUST take the responsibility of the choices we make and the consequences that results from those choices. THAT is what separates US from the Left, who see NO consequences for their actions not do they take any responsibility for their lives.

Thus then, the ROOT of Conservatism is that WE believe that it is NOT the role of the government to protect you from yourself, from excess salt, transfats, guns, sodas, obesity, french fries, fast cars, etc, to bad choices or poor judgment. The role of the government of the United States of America is to provide the BONA FIDE citizens with a maximum of individual freedom while protecting our rights from being infringed upon by others, by attacks from a common enemy, and the enabling of interstate commerce. (That is why Marines were protecting trains against robbery in the 20’s). It is YOUR job to provide YOURSELF with food, shelter, a job, health care, skills, recreation, etc. But the collorary to THAT is that the government DOES NOT have the right to take away what YOU HAVE PRODUCED to provide for others who do not provide for themselves.

Conservatives believe that LOCAL charity works best for those in need are known in their churches and local community but not by a faceless bureaucrat in DC. Liberals shower freebies on anyone and everyone, pillaging the fruits of other people’s labor, often at odds with the producers of said fruits, i.e., 99 weeks of unemployment, welfare, etc. Those who NEED help get it but those who are LAZY are made "uncomfortable in their poverty." (B. Franklin) THAT is WHY we Conservatives cherish that private property is fundamental to the realization of individual freedom because what we create via our minds, skills, talents (on loan from God - El Rushbo), belongs to US and US ALONE! If I/WE/US CHOOSE to give to charity, to help those less fortunate, that is OUR CHOICE and our choice alone. It is NOT the role of government to take what WE earn and redistribute it to those who refuse to work, refuse to take responsibility for their lives, or refuse to take ownership of their poor judgment, i.e., Bush’s fault, headwinds, etc.

In conclusion, Conservatism embraces the view that the basic building blocks of individual freedom are freedom of choice, free will, free markets, private property is indeed private property, and a limited government that follows the Constitution. On the flip side, Liberalism means that the government provides a free "all-you-can-eat" buffet of freebies and governmental intervention to the lazy, ignorant, and stupid. MORE spending, MORE regulations, MORE freebies, MORE entitlements, all at the expense of others, until other people's money runs out. It is quite clear that Conservatism promotes a freer and more prosperous nation whereas Liberalism, more taxes, more spending, more and more regulations and an excessive and UNCARING bureaucracy kills prosperity and freedom. Just look at what Obama and the Democrats have done to this nation since they took over in January 2007 and January 2009 and you have your confirmation.