Four States News

Conservatism

March 21, 2014 Colton Taylor

When looking at America’s future, I can think of many words that aptly describe the collapse: Bleak, chaotic, and even inevitable. I have noticed a frightening trend among those who reside within both sides of the political spectrum. It seems as if many have convinced themselves of the simple lie that it is impossible for America to even come close to decaying. Why are so many so quick to claim such an absurd notion that the lessons of history do not apply to us? Simply put, we often refuse to see what we do not want to see, and will provide any excuse to ignore the simplistic laws of action and consequence.

The more I reach out to understand more the ideology of different groups of people, the more I realize the truth of this next statement: Many people are so much more consumed with “winning” than they are with defeating an evil that will plague America for generations. Take the Republican party, for example. A party that is so divided that it has found itself inside a civil war, destroying each other instead of the fierce enemies that will forever be known as statists. In fact, it could even be said that there are many statists that partake in this civil war. As true as that statement is, that is not my overall point. Recently, I have watched a documentary on the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney, and I was under the impression that his purpose really wasn’t to teach America the conservative message. His purpose seemed to be the very same purpose that could be linked to the majority of politicians – To say anything that would have the immense amount of power to increase the chances of being elected.

Political office was once meant to be a path of servitude towards the citizenry; what can we say about it now? Every single day we can find direct evidence that shows the American people how most of the politicians feel about servitude: They believe it is all about serving themselves at the expense of the very same citizens that voted for them in the first place. Let me be clear: The solution to America’s vast amount of problems will not be found among the many elected officials who deem themselves to be superior towards the citizens. No, the solution will be found within the hands of the people.

It is important to understand that challenges that people face in every day life are not fixed by simply doing nothing at all. We find a shocking correlation when we realize that government will not limit their own power, just as America’s woes will not “automatically” disappear. It seems to me that Americans wish to stay in their own tiny bubble, while having the strong desire to ignore the consequences of irresponsibility.

Having said all of this, I believe it is important for conservatives to understand what conservatism truly is. If we do not understand conservative ideology, how on earth do we expect to defeat the agenda of the left, and their plot to consolidate government power?

Conservatism has such a negative connotation within its framework, because it is holds true to principles in which people do not want to hear. Down to the core, Conservatives are often attacked malevolently for their passionate belief in power towards the individual. There are few to truly recognize the dangers of allowing life-altering decisions to be made by a third party. You see, Conservatives have been wrongfully dubbed as hateful, uncaring, doomsayers, and even ignorant towards society, because people do not understand the importance of the conservative message.

For far too long, there has been a quest being made by those who favor the liberal agenda. A quest, in which the outcome is entirely unattainable on this earth. A quest for “social justice,” and even a quest to depend more on a third party to provide a number of things from cell phones to, say, universal healthcare system. A significant number of people in America want freedom from choice, and they are willing to sacrifice their basic, fundamental liberties so that they can live their life of irresponsibility. Many of us fail to realize that our government is not the one who endowed our essential freedoms to the citizenry. No, if that were true, they would immediately have the ability to strip them away without hesitation.

Thomas Sowell, a brilliant Conservative author and economist, writes a profound passage that explains what happens to a society who seeks both freedom from choice, and equality through “social justice:”

“There is an ancient fable about a dog with a bone in his mouth. He looked down into a pool of water and saw a reflection that looked to him like another dog with a bone- and that other bone seemed to be larger than his bone. Determined to get the other bone instead, the dog opened his mouth and prepared to jump into the water and be lost. Cosmic justice is much like that illusory bone and it too can cause us to lose what is attainable in the quest of the unattainable.”

In his book, The Quest for Cosmic Justice, Thomas Sowell describes a scenario that is most certainly relatable to our own society in America. We find that a large percentage of Americans have this sense of entitlement, and only wish the government to provide for our every need. What people are not willing to realize is the fact: The more we depend on government, the less individual liberty we will have. What’s more, we will be told by the many corrupt politicians that every restriction they make on our personal freedom is the “price we must pay” to keep a “free” society.

Conservatives are often misunderstood and attacked rigorously because they are all too familiar with the dangers of depending too much on a superior power like these massive bureaucracies who have lost their intended place by empowering themselves to an even greater extent than ever before. Conservatism is all about articulating freedom through the recourse provided by the framers within the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia: The Constitution. Those who are against that very simple message do not stand for the well-being of the citizenry. What is worst, they cannot acknowledge the fact that actions have consequences, and those consequences apply to all.

This is not doomsaying and it is most certainly not the end of the fight that so many have fought and died for over the course of American history. However, it is an acknowledgement of truth: History paints a sharp picture of what is to become of any country who forgets the importance of the individual.