The liberal disease is permeating our society, shaping our youth, and slowly destroying the fabric of our nation. Liberalism is difficult to combat when you consider that the basis behind it consists of making everyone feel good and making sure no one gets their feelings hurt. It is easy to promise people that the government will take care of them. It is easy to be an idealist rather than a realist. It is easy to do it if it feels good then place blame on others when it’s time to accept the consequences. In essence, it’s easier to ‘feel’ about a problem than to ‘think’ about a problem. And because we are turning into a nation of sissies, it is more difficult than ever to dissuade people from turning to the dark side. Liberalism gives you that warm fuzzy feeling.
Democrat, Republican, Democrat, Republican. Right or wrong, our society has been broken down and separated into these two basic groups. The problem is, too often individuals get caught up in identifying themselves with the label rather than the ideals that the label represents.
My friends and family frequently pigeonhole me as an “in your face” diehard republican. While it is true I will gladly get in your face and I am a registered republican, the Republican party is nothing more than the party that I most closely identify with. Should the philosophies and principles of the party change, thereby contradicting my own, I would gladly sever my affiliation with the Republican party. The fact that the party’s philosophies endorse loyalty to principle is primarily why I currently choose to identify myself as a Republican.
I believe in a limited role of government, people keeping more of their own money, and a strong and viable military. I feel people are ultimately responsible for their own successes and failures. I believe in the right to keep and bare arms and equal treatment of all people and preferential treatment for none. I believe that most republicans share my beliefs.
Both political parties have unfortunately migrated left over the years.
The Medicare reform that took place during George W. Bush’s first term is definitely not a shining example of a party representative of limiting government’s role in our lives. It was, in my opinion, an attempt to appeal to moderate democrats and seniors prior to the 2004 elections. It was the republicans futile attempt to redefine themselves as “The Party That Cares.” Everyone knows this is a title created and held by the democrats and perpetuated by the media.
If tomorrow the republican party was to adopt every position currently held by the democrats, little would change in terms of democrats crossing over party lines. Most are consumed with their label and the identity that comes with it than they are the ideologies. They are terrified of changing for fear they will no longer be the person who cares the most about the poor, destitute, and downtrodden. Almost brings a tear to your eye, doesn’t it?
When republicans propose legislation aimed at limiting government’s role in society and thereby thrusting accountability upon the people, the democrats cry foul. The republicans are labeled as mean spirited evildoers who bask in other people’s anguish.
The opposite is true however. The democratic party thrives on the misfortune of others.
For example, they claim to be the party fighting for minorities when, in fact, it is their entitlement programs that keep the minority populations in a position where they must depend on the government. Whether it is welfare, affirmative action, or some other entitlement, these programs allow the democrats to continue to keep growing the government while keeping people dependant on government.
Democrats continue to insist on giving the poor just enough to get by. They invest in keeping people poor rather than teaching the poor to generate their own wealth and achieve financial independence.
Participants in many entitlement programs learn that they either cannot make it by their own means, or at least that they do not need to make it on their own. We are being programmed to believe that government knows best and only the intellectual liberals can truly know what’s best for the rest of us. We are told that we, as Americans, do not have the capacity to fairly address a person's abilities in a job interview and must rely on affirmative action legislation and the government to think for us.
Democrats do believe in equal opportunity. They believe in keeping everyone dependant on government, regardless of age, race, gender, and sexual orientation. They want to keep you just poor enough that you need them while keeping just enough money in your pocket that you do not revolt against them. That is at least until they can repeal the second amendment.
While it is true that some government programs are needed in order to ensure the general welfare of our people, a line must be drawn in the sand at some point. It is when these programs become a lifestyle or a means to succeed that they become a problem.
I would challenge anyone to show me a person who was raised and aided completely by government assistance programs and rose to the top of their career field. Even if you could find this needle in the haystack (which is highly unlikely) you would then need to ask yourself a simple question. Would you want to have brain surgery performed on you by someone who was raised in government funded daycare, admitted into college solely based on his or her protected class status, and hired by a hospital based on affirmative action quotas rather than skills, credentials, and ability?
When people are constantly given to, they often forget how to get. They become complacent and content with what they have and lose their drive and ambition to succeed.
The only people who truly thrive under liberal programs are those elite liberals that have inherited their success. They must keep people dependent on their programs because the only people worthy of and smart enough to handle success are other rich elite liberals.
Government entitlement programs have increased at a rate that would make even Franklin Roosevelt spin in his grave.
Indeed, the Democratic party has re-invented itself during the past 30 years and many democrats have failed to notice.
The Democratic party that once fought to simply expand government’s role in the free market has become a party fighting to control the lives of all people; both socially and economically. Once known as the party of courageous "Truman Democrats," it is now a party that cowers at the thought pre-emptive military action. Once known as the party of the average working person, it is now the party of the Hollywood elite.
Their leaders profess their love for the freedom of speech while enslaving that freedom with their perpetuation of political correctness. None of this would be endorsed by Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, or even John F. Kennedy; all of whom would be considered radical conservatives by today‘s standards.
Unfortunately, many democrats have not examined what their party has become. They do not share my belief that you should be loyal to your beliefs first and your political party second.
Take my state of Iowa, for example. Iowa is a generally a democratic state although Iowans are still relatively conservative people. Many Iowans are traditional democrats whose parents and grand-parents were democrats. Like their parents and grand-parents, they are hunters and gun owners not animal rights activists and gun-grabbers. They are farmers and soldiers not environmentalists and peace protesters. They are faithful people who attend church, not those trying to take “God” out of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Even with these things in mind, moderate Iowa democrats blindly march to the polls each election and cast their vote for a party that has re-invented itself and left their ideals behind. Either by tradition or mandate by their local labor union, these people refuse to put common sense and reason before pride and emotion.
They continue to call the republican party the party of the rich, meanwhile the wealthy Hollywood elite and media moguls fund and endorse democratic candidates at a staggering rate. They still refer to the Democratic party as a party of the average working person while endorsing some of the wealthiest candidates in the history of America. They claim to love their country and support U.S soldiers while their party’s leaders give comfort and aid to the enemy by ridiculing the military’s efforts and minimizing their victories. There are contradictions at every turn.
These Iowans are not stupid people, foolish maybe, but not stupid. They are generally honest hardworking Americans who are either to proud to call themselves something else or to naive to notice that they are helping to create a society that contradicts their mid-western values.
This mentality is difficult to remedy, but not impossible. The republican party must point out the distinct differences in the parties’ philosophies. More importantly, the republican party needs to exploit the contrast between the radical liberals that now rule the democrats and the moderate democrats whose voices have been muted over time. They need to point out to the moderate democrats that their worth has been reduced to nothing more than the value of their vote on election day.
If we, as a nation, are to redirect our society’s misguided direction we need to focus on educating groups of individuals other than the moderate traditional democrats.
The independent voters, or “fence riders” as I like to call them, present an interesting recruiting challenge for both parties. I often hear independents say “I’m an independent. I vote for the best person for the job.” Well, isn’t that sweet. In other words what they are saying is “I have no principles. I stand for nothing.”
You see, the differences between the parties are dramatic. If you truly understand what you stand for and have developed a belief system, you should have no problem in identifying with a political party. Whether it is the Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Socialist, Communist, Green, or Reform party - please…stand for something. I have more respect for an informed democrat or a communist (Is there a difference?) than I do for an independent who shares many of my beliefs. At least the demo-commies know what they believe in.
I have found in my personal observations that independents vote democrat more often than not. I know many registered independents who have never voted for a republican and probably never will. Apparently, in twenty years it just so happens that the democratic candidate has always been the best person for the job. Imagine that. What are the odds? I have a theory behind what motivates these spineless stand-for-nothing individuals.
The line between democrats and liberals became increasingly fuzzy in the 60’s and 70’s and finally dissipated in the 1980’s. Calling yourself a democrat became difficult for many. After all, who in their right mind wants to be labeled as a liberal? That’s like labeling yourself a whining, crying, tree-hugging, little sissy. Well, I’ve got news for democrats and the cowardly independents who vote for them. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…