a conservative view

 

What makes me a conservative ?

I believe in the inalienable right of men to be free to pursue happiness.  This is the classic liberal idea, part of man’s unalterable natural state.

Civilized society restricts man's animal instincts for self preservation by organizing to cooperate in pursuit of the fundamental necessities to survive. We call these restrictions government. The most common forms are top-down and authoritarian in nature.

Government of people by people was recently introduced to the world.  Viewed historically, it is an idea that must be considered experimental and, as such, subject to failure. Two competing ideologies vie for supremacy in pursuit of government by the people; Capitalism enshrined in the US Constitution in 1788 and Communism introduced by the Russian Revolution 1917.

Capitalism is a  laissez-faire philosophy; unrestricted it will crush the weakest. Communism demands central control of all aspects of society; eliminating any aspect of personal choice. Socialism, according to Marx, is the transitional state between the two; the path from the bright light of liberty back to the 18^th century darkness of  authoritarian rule.

Communism and Socialism are antithetical to the classic liberal idea of the right of men to be free to pursue happiness. The US Constitution protects the inalienable rights of citizens of the United States and its territories. That single fact is what makes the USA exceptional.   That unique document draws people from all over the planet to our borders and focuses the animus of the enemies of freedom.

Modern liberality seeks to regulate capitalism (a worthy and necessary objective). It also seeks to construct a welfare state (an objective of limited utility).  Modern liberality finds constitutional restriction inconvenient; resulting in a philosophical construct referred to as “the living Constitution.” American exceptionalism is dismissed and  the suppression  of liberty is deemed expedient and necessary to the "greater good."

We are reminded daily of a fight between Democrats and Republicans.  There is something far more sinister at play.  Tribalism is  threatening the very bedrock of our constitutional protection and the survival of classic liberalism as a governing principle. Tribalism is defined as conforming loyalty to a social group combined with negative feelings directed at people outside the group. Democrats and Republicans meet to debate and compromise. Tribes take the streets and gather to war; free speech is denied, only tyranny will follow. 

Politicians, left and right,  are being drawn to the extreme party wings.  The extreme liberal tribe seeks to shout down opposition, destroy property and demonstrate by word and deed a desire to overthrow Capitalism and move to Socialism which is the path to totalitarian Communism. They portray themselves as  Progressives. Progressive they may be but classic liberals they are not. Conservatives demonstrate a preference for established order and are opposed to abrupt change. There is an extreme right wing equally willing to burn down the opposition. The conservative reticence to change is fortified by a strong belief  in personal liberty and fairness.  Take those away and all bets are off. 

I pray that the establishment political leaders can find a way to move to the middle where they can work for just governance for all the people.