“A Bold Step Back”

Fellow Twitterer Tom O’Halloran has written a very well thought out piece titled A Bold Step Back.  In it he lays out many of the things the Republican party will need to do to both win back control of Congress and the White House, as well as move our great nation back toward prosperity and liberty.

In my opinion, each one of his points must be accepted by any candidate for office if he or she would like a shot at higher office.  Fellow Republicans, Whigs, and Libertarians are demanding it.  We must also “accept no substitute.”  A moderate Republican needs to know that they have absolutely NO chance of winning without accepting these points.  We are not looking for Rulers.  We are looking for Representatives.

Tom correctly points out that we used to elect statesmen.  We now elect politicians.  The difference can be found in this quote from Thomas Jefferson.

A politician looks forward only to the next election. A statesman looks forward to the next generation.

That is our fault. We did not demand that our Representatives do their jobs. We half-heartedly put them in office and then promptly forgot them like so much attic junk. Then, when we needed them to do their jobs – and they failed – we did not demand their resignations. We probably reelected them.

Now it is time to clean house. The Conservative movement is in full swing, and we are paying attention. But more is needed, we also need a template for them to follow, and A Bold Step Back is a great starting point. Insightfully, Tom has recognized that the Republican Party is damaged goods. Many, many people are calling for a new party, but that has consequences, as anyone who remembers Bill Clinton’s 1992 election will attest.

Tom’s solution begins by re-branding the party. Even so far as to give it a different name. The platform must remain decidedly Conservative, however a totally new look, feel, and even leadership is required to throw off the stigma of the GOP.

Next, is simple and academic, but still needs to be done.

We need to first identify the seats coming up for election and decide who needs to be replaced ON BOTH sides of the aisle, and then we need to identify replacements for these seats.

In identifying replacements,

We find people that understand that they are going in to make a very real difference, some very difficult choices, and DO WHAT IS RIGHT.

They will also know that there is a very good possibility that they will not get reelected.

But while there, they will fight hard for our agenda, and NOT COMPROMISE at all. They will continually submit and fight for legislation to roll back the size of government…

Term limits are a definite need, curbing Congressional pay and benefits, and cutting out elaborate “retirement” packages. Tom also recommends campaign reform, but if I may interject my own thoughts, reform needs to return power to the people, not the Media. Companies have a right to be represented as well, and their money should be accepted. It is the special favors which need to be eliminated – and revamping the tax code to the Fair Tax will go a long way towards that goal.

Tom touches upon one of my soap boxes with this statement,

We will remove thousands of laws from the books; we have so many laws that it is virtually impossible to not break them. Congress was NOT given the power to be a nanny state and make me wear a helmet.

Not only should thousands of laws be removed, thousands of regulations and dozens of Federal departments need to be eliminated as well. Consider it a Federal colon cleansing. Any department, office, cabinet position, what have you, that is not directly supported by the Constitution must go. That will take courage, conviction, and the ability to slough off the “slings and arrows” of the Left. Some of these departments can be reconstituted at a state level, but that is up to each state. The important thing is that our Federal Government be massively and irrevocably cut down.

The objective is to reduce the platform to a very small but vital one. Freedom, Security, Lower taxes, Personal Responsibility and Capitalism. Leave abortion, gay marriage and so many of the smaller issues off the platform. Let candidates from WITHIN the party present their views, but most of these issues should be determined within the states themselves

There are dozens of other ideas in the essay – all good. This government belongs to the people. It is time WE defined it. It is time that we accept and elect people into office who accept that they are there to serve us.

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My Fellow Conservatives – The Libs Are On The Ropes

Eighty-six years. In eighty-six years, this country has had exactly two Conservative Presidents, Ronald Reagan and Calvin Coolidge. We almost had three, but Barry Goldwater was defeated in 1964 by Lyndon Johnson. We have had other Republican Presidents, but one is not the other.

The 2012 Election, assuming we will have an election, will most likely be the last stand for Conservatism. For reasons which should be obvious to every Conservative, 2012 needs to be our “line in the sand”. In two years we will need to choose a person who can lead the movement out of its exile. While I appreciate and respect John McCain for his service and love for this country, he was just not that man. Our current RNC Chair is not that man either. Our requirements are simple, however difficult to come by in someone who has been a politician most of his or her life. They must respect our Constitution, they must respect Life, they must desire to fight for a smaller government and increased Liberty, and they must preach personal responsibility.

By respecting our Constitution, I do not mean lip service. Our candidate must work to repair the damage done by those who trampled upon it. We have endured the slide toward statism for far too long. Our current President and Congress are engaged in a no-holds-barred fight to shove us the rest of the way, whether they know it or not. This must be corrected. Any student of history knows that every governmental form eventually breaks down into tyranny. Every one. The Left has ceased using small tools and now has brought out heavy machinery. The work began by Woodrow Wilson is almost complete.

Respect for Life is another cornerstone of Conservative thought. In this our candidate must be unwavering. Well more than a tenth of our population has been lost through doctors and scientists – all sanctified by the State. Both abortion and Embryonic Stem Cell Research must be stopped cold. Prosecution of violent criminals, along with legislation to ensure they serve their full sentence, must be pursued.

The size of our government is absolutely mind blowing. During Obama’s term, it will ingest nearly one out of every three dollars produced in this country. Barely any of it is well spent, and even less is spent on the government’s constitutionally mandated functions. Entire departments must shut down and their duties returned to the States using the 10th Amendment as a guide. Obviously, with a government this size, it cannot be done overnight. But much like a bankruptcy of a large corporation, it can be done in a safe and controlled manner. At the time government is shrinking, dollars which were once collected for tax will remain in the hands of the citizens or businesses.

This brings me to increasing Liberty. Federal regulations and mandates must simultaneously be unwound. The meaning of private property must return to it’s rightful place. The meaning of “freedom of speech” and “freedom of religion” must again be the hallmarks of this great land. At the same time, functions granted to the federal government which have been abandoned must become important again. For example, illegal immigration must be stopped. Those here illegally must return to their country of origin. After that has been accomplished, a re-work of our immigration policy must begin in earnest to allow proper and timely immigration of those who want to become U.S. Citizens. Squatters, criminals, terrorists, and those who refuse to assimilate must be rejected. In this way, freedom of all Americans can be enhanced by an order of magnitude.

However, freedom always comes with a price. This price tag includes the requirement of personal responsibility. A people who refuse to take care of themselves and make sound decisions for their well being cannot be free. Currently, almost half of our country is dependent upon the government to make life possible. This is absolutely immoral. Not only is it injurous to the dependent population, but to the enabling population as well. The habit of creating dependents to obtain votes, and therefore power, must be broken. Individuals who have the capacity to care for themselves, must do so. Government sponsored laziness cannot be allowed in a free society.

If our candidate cannot claim these principles, than there is no need to run for office – they will lose.

But there is hope. The Conservative Movement is growing. More and more people are finding their voice and are standing up for our Founding Principles. As evidenced by the Tea Party Protests, the thousands of Right-side political blogs, and the success of Conservative Talk Radio, I know WE outnumber THEM. In the last election, more registered voters did not vote for Barack Obama than did vote for him.

We should capitalize on the anger being drummed up by the Obama Administration. To use Rahm Emanuel’s words “Never let a crisis go to waste.” We cannot let this anger go to waste. We must instead direct it back at Government. We must hammer home the concept of fiscal responsibility. We must never allow our representatives to be this irresponsible with our money. When energy and food prices rise, there will be more anger. Again, direct it at Government. Not just on our blogs or by calling in to radio shows, but by protesting in the thousands along side with the moderate Democrats. Let’s bring the Moderate or Independent to our way of thinking. We lost them because the Republican party sacrificed its ideals and principles. Do not allow the media or the ignorant cause us to sacrifice them any more!

Further steps must be taken, however. We must re-take our schools and institutions of higher learning. We need Conservative teachers by the thousands. We need Conservatives to invade all of the areas held by Liberals. Even if it is just a group of Conservative college kids invading the local coffee shop, we can leave them no place to hide. Do not back down. Do not allow yourselves to be silenced. Ridicule them as they ridicule you. Liberals have poor self-esteem, which is why they are only strong in groups, and why they cower in universities.

Every Liberal and Environmental protest must be met with Conservative protests. Every school board, or city council meeting must be filled to overflowing with Conservatives. We have been lazy. We have sat back, shook our heads, and said nothing as this country was taken away from us. We allowed them to loudly proclaim their position without contestation. This must end. Letter writing and applying bumper stickers is not sufficient, we must use their tactics against them.

We have until the 2012 election. Our enemy is faltering in major ways. The tide can be turned against Big Government and Liberal Ideology. We have the advantage in numbers. We have the advantage of argument. We have the advantage of intelligence. We have them on the ropes…let’s work together and finish them off.

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Open Letter to Meghan McCain

Dear Ms. McCain,

For the last couple of weeks I have been on the sidelines, listening to you. It is a shame that you decided to pick a fight with two of the most outspoken women in the Conservative Movement. While this has added publicity for you, it has not been good for either the movement, or Republicans in general. What is also a shame was Laura Ingram’s “plus sized ” comment. She should have been more professional. However, politics has never been a clean sport. Even early presidential races were filled with invective and personal slurs, some, would make modern politicians blush. If you intend to play in this sandbox, I recommend you grow a thick skin.

It is not my intent to patronize you, or vent hostility. Quite the contrary, I would like to help you understand a world to which you are obviously new. You, and those like you, might one day be leaders in the Republican party, and I do appreciate your willingness to be a voice for us. However, unless you understand and support Conservatism, most Republicans will reject you out of hand. So far, you have not been a voice for Conservatism, but instead a voice for those who would distort and neglect our principles in an attempt to win elections or “get along” with the other side.

Meghan, this is first and foremost, an ideological battle. The ideals and principles of those on the Left and Right are absolutely incompatible. At one time, they might have been, but that ship sailed well over 80 years ago. I will not try to convince you which one is the correct ideology, that is a decision every American must make for themselves. I will merely frame our ideals, and leave the rest to you.

American Conservatism’s First Principle, if there ever was one, is Liberty for the citizens of this wonderful country. The freedom to make the most of one’s God given talents and abilities. The freedom to be left alone if desired. The freedom to make the best choices for one’s self and family. Everything else hangs on this First Principle. But it is not enough to define this principle, you must realize from where Liberty springs. It comes directly from our Creator. If there is not a God above government, then there is no true Liberty, freedom can be taken away with the stroke of a pen.

Our Constitution was written in a way that acknowledges this fact. It then defines that our freedoms belong to all of us by virtue of our Creation. It further defines the powers of government are only what has been granted to it by the governed, and its chief purpose is to defend the freedoms of the individual, and defend them equally. That said, the first question of any law is therefore “does this make all individuals more free, or less free.” The default position should always be – more free. Everything Conservatives fight for can be broken down into the answers to that question.

‘Fairness’, or achieving equal outcomes, is not an authorized function of our government. The people never gave it that power. However, our government has taken it, by subterfuge in most cases and by force in some. In the over two centuries since our country’s founding, government has grown, chipping away little by little at our freedoms to allow it enough space to expand. And all for the proposed purpose of achieving ‘fairness’. We are all taught from a young age that life is not fair. Believing that fairness can be legislated is simply a fantasy of the politically immature. At no time the long history of our species has this ever been accomplished, though countless regimes have tried. It cannot be done.

The only fairness which can be achieved is through equality of opportunity, and equality of justice. Our country has made countless mistakes on these two points, but slow and sure progress has come. Our economic system is based upon balancing these two ideals. Not everyone will become wealthy. It is either through lack of drive, or lack of talent, that economic fortunes are separated. There are those who became wealthy by cheating their fellow man. It is up to the justice system to punish those responsible. No one should achieve a higher status in this country by trampling upon the rights of others. And if justice never comes in this life, the final judge is God. But there are those who believe that if a person became wealthy, they must have done it by trampling upon the rights of others. This is a mistaken assumption and cannot be tolerated in a free society.

There are those who, for whatever reason, lack the ability to earn a living for themselves. Conservatives believe it is the duty of their community to care for them. If their community cannot, then the larger entity of the city, then county, and so on. The assistance should not come from the federal government except as a last resort. A distant government simply cannot know how to best help the individual who is in need. It is the proverbial cannon being used as a fly-swatter.

It is not the duty of government to educate our youth. It is only the duty of government to ensure that the states, and local education facilities, treat the individual equally. It is not the duty of government to ensure funding for artistic endeavors, that is what philanthropists do with their own money. It is not the duty of government to provide funding for scientific research, except with the possible exception of military use. That is the realm of private investment. It is not the duty of government to control banking, or Wall Street. Only to ensure equal treatment of the individual and protect their rights.

These are but a few examples. Our government has overstepped its intended role for so long, that we, as a people, have forgotten how true freedom tastes. The intention of the Founder’s was to make the Federal Government something that rarely, if ever, entered our daily lives. At this point in time, it is rarely that the Federal Government does not make its presence, and power known. This is our fight, this is our reason for blogging, or protesting, or voting. Conservatives such as Laura Ingram and Ann Coulter, have given their lives to this fight. They are two of our better front line soldiers. Others would include Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michelle Malkin, and Mark Levin. If you have ever met soldiers who have fought in a front line position, you know they do not have smooth edges. They are a bit rough and uncouth because of their arduous fight. We should appreciate their rough edges, and thank them – because in the end, they fight for all our freedoms.

If you would like to be a leader in the Conservative Movement, study our history – especially of the Founders, study economics, and study the law. If you agree with and hold fast to our ideals, you will be accepted as a Conservative. If you stand strong and fight for the freedom of all Americans, we will gladly accept you as a leader.

Thank you.
A Red Dot in A Red State

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