I HAVE BECOME INTERESTED IN WHAT MAKES THE "CONSERVATIVE MIND" TICK...
WHAT ARE "CONSERVATIVES" THINKING THAT SEPARATES THEM FROM THE INTELLECTUAL LIFE OF MOST INTELLIGENT PEOPLE...?
IS IT GREED...?
SOMETIMES... FOR THIS TYPE OF CONSERVATIVE, RICH OR POOR...TAXES OF ANY KIND ARE RESENTED... THIS IS OFTEN COUCHED IN THE "SMALLER GOVERNMENT" MANTRA...(SEE BELOW...)
IS IT RACISM...?
THIS IS THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF A LOT OF SOUTHERN CONSERVATIVE THINKING... MANY ANGRY OLDER WHITES SIMPLY CAN NOT ACCEPT BLACKS AS EQUAL CITIZENS...AND THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION OF THE LEFT IS MORE THAN THEY CAN HANDLE...
IS IT IGNORANCE...?
YES, IN MANY, IF NOT MOST CASES...THESE ARE THE FOX NEWS CONSERVATIVES....
FOR SOME REASON THE IGNORANT PERSON IS MORE "AT HOME" WITH AND WILLING TO ACCEPT ARGUMENTS THAT APPEAL TO THEIR FEAR AND HATE... AS OPPOSED TO THE "WHITE PAPERS" AND LOGICAL ARGUMENTS OF THE "LIBERALS."
IS IT THE DESIRE FOR "SMALL GOVERNMENT"...?
THESE TYPES OF CONSERVATIVES ARE REALLY THE ONLY ONES WITH ANY INTELLECTUAL PRETENSIONS...
THEY OFTEN QUOTE LOCKE AND HOBBES...AND BURKE AND KIRK ...AND OTHERS IN THE OLD CONSERVATIVE PANTHEON...
WHAT THE SMALL GOVERNMENT TYPES MISS IS THAT GOVERNMENT ... IN A COMPLEX MODERN ECONOMY... MUST PLAY A ROLE... THIS IS NOT THE 18TH CENTURY WHEN MOST CONSERVATIVE DOGMA WAS WRITTEN ... MOSTLY IN OPPOSITION TO ROYAL AND NOBLE PREROGATIVES...WHICH NO LONGER APPLY...
IN A COMPLEX MODERN SOCIETY...GOVERNMENT HAS TO PROTECT THE HEALTH, WELFARE AND SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC... THERE IS A "COMMON GOOD"...NOT JUST THE "PRIVATE GOOD" THAT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED...EVEN MORE IN COMPLEX ECONOMIES...AND THE COMMON GOOD CAN NOT BE IGNORED FOR LONG WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES.... AS AMERICANS HAVE RECENTLY DISCOVERED...TO THE PERIL.
THERE ARE THREATS FROM THE OUTSIDE...OR FROM THE INSIDE LIKE, DISEASE...OR FROM THE GREED OF WALL STREET SPECULATORS OR THE MISGUIDED RICH...AND OTHER ELITES.
IT IS TRUE THAT OVER REGULATION IS BAD... BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO ATTEMPT IN THE WEST TO REGULATE RELIGION...PERSONAL TASTES...OR HONEST BUSINESS PRACTICES...
THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE ANYTHING TO FEAR...ARE THE GREED MONGERS...THE SWINDLERS...THE QUACKS...AND THE FRAUDS...
THIS IS A DEMOCRACY NOT A "DUMBOCRACY"...
THIS IS THE HEART OF CONSERVATIVE COMPLAINT OF "OVER-REGULATION" AND "BIG GOVERNMENT"...
ARE BUILDING CODES OVER REGULATION...? PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES...OR PUBLIC HEALTH CARE FOR ALL...? DO TRAFFIC LAWS "GO TO FAR...?"
ARE THEIVES, RAPISTS AND PEDOPHILES THE "VICTIMS" OF BIG GOVERNMENT "IMPOSING THEIR MORALS" ON A FREE PEOPLE...
SOMETIMES THE LESS INTELLIGENT PEOPLE HAVE TO BE PROTECTED FROM THE PREDATORY CLASSES...AND/0R FROM THEIR OWN IGNORANCE...
JUST COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE "TONE" ON FOX NEWS...OR TOUT TV...AND MSNBC, PBS OR NPR...THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE FOX FREAK SHOW IS DESIGNED TO APPEAL TO AND MISLEAD THE LESS INTELLIGENT AMONG US...
AND MEDIA LIKE PBS AND NPR...ARE QUITE SIMPLY "NATIONAL TREASURES" TO ALL INTELLIGENT THINKING PEOPLE...
ARE THE CURRENT "KEYNESIAN ECONOMICS"...TO "CURE" OUR LOOTED ECONOMY WRONG...?
PERHAPS, YES...BUT WHAT ELSE IS THERE...? MORE TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH AND INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL THAT HAS LOOTED THE US ECONOMY TO THE BONE...AND CAUSED THE COLLAPSE OF 2008...?
I PERSONALLY DOUBT THAT KEYNESIAN STIMULUS WILL "WORK" IN THE US ECONOMY...
THE US ECONOMY IS A ZOMBIE ECONOMY...THERE ARE STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS THAT MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE THAT ANY "KEYNESIAN" STIMULUS TO WORK...
BUT WHAT TO DO...?
DO WE LAPSE INTO AN IGNORANT FASCISM LIKE THE GERMANS DID IN THE 1930'S...
OF ALL THE DISEASED MINDS THAT MAKE UP THE CONSERVATIVE MATRIX...PERHAPS THE BIG GOVERNMENT TYPES ARE THE MOST HONEST... ALBEIT VERY VERY WRONG...!
THE VIEWS OF SECRET RACISTS...THE CONGENITALLY OR WILLFULLY IGNORANT...AND THE GREEDY AND FRAUDULENT...ARE SIMPLY NOT WORTH CONSIDERING...
