Warning: This is a political rant. If you can’t reasonably read about political opinions, then please, skip this. Don’t read it. By writing this post, my intention is not to make you angry, but rather, to make sense, and perhaps explain, something that has been on my mind a lot lately.
You have exactly five seconds to move on to another article before I get started.
5 … 4 …3 … 2 … 1 …
Excellent, you’re still here. Here’s what I don’t understand:
Why do politicians dangle the promise of a bi-partisan government like a carrot in front of our noses when we all know, deep down, that our government will NEVER EVER agree. Ever.
Why? Because our ideologies are too different – as in, completely opposite.
Liberals are all about a social agenda – a country that offers one size fits all programs that will take care of the people, whether they want to be taken care of or not. Liberals want to be the Puppet Master while we, the puppets, numbly await our strings to be pulled. It’s simply easier to give that control up to a bigger entity. Liberals are “bleeding hearts”, they care about people and hate to see anyone suffer and/or be treated unfairly.
Conservatives are all about less government – a country that offers choices, options and the ability to pursue and embrace personal accomplishments. Conservatives are heartless bastards who don’t care about people, all they’re concerned about is the bottom line – power and money. And they don’t care who they squash in the process of getting there. Conservatives don’t have a compassionate bone in their body.
Does that sound about right? Really? Because that’s the common misconception that our government, and our media, would like us to believe. They would also like us to believe that we’re stupid, needy and that we EMBRACE dependence. And I don’t know about you? But that assumption offends the hell out of me.
If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m a Conservative. And though I certainly DON’T perceive Conservatives as depicted above, I’m aware that others perceive Conservatives that way. And though I’m more than willing to be wrong about my perceptions of the Liberals, I feel like media outlets, and sometimes even other Liberals, pretty much prove my assumptions correct.
To me, the fundamental difference between Liberals and Conservatives is this:
Liberals are more concerned about the short term – they would rather put a Band aid on the problem as opposed to actually fixing the root cause of the problem.
Conservatives tend to look at a problem in the long term – how exactly will this decision affect the country and the people say, five, ten, even twenty years down the line?
Let’s look at the fundamental differences in party opinion in relation to health care for example:
Liberals want health care NOW. People are hurting NOW. People need health care NOW. We must take care of these people NOW. It’s cold and heartless to make them suffer and they need us NOW. Liberals are impulsive and want immediate results. Liberals are emotional and rash – which is evident when they try and argue a point. Because they don’t argue, they insult. And they insult because they can’t think of a rational, logical argument so they resort to playground tactics by insulting the way a person looks, or the way they live, or some other such nonsense.
Conservatives want to take care of people, but they also want to make sure that it’s paid for, that it’s fair to all parties (not just making the rich pay for the poor) and that we retain options and choices in the process. Conservatives are more cautious and want to make sure that the ultimate course of action doesn’t come back to bite us in the butt years from now. (Like trying to make our children and grandchildren pay for our impulsiveness NOW). Conservatives are careful, they are rational and they assess the situation. They argue by providing facts and examples and because of this, people perceive them as uncaring, heartless, cold.
Conservatives are not interested in skin color. They don’t care whether your male or female. Conservatives care about being fair to ALL people – to provide opportunities for ALL people. To retain choices and options.
So WHY am I bringing this up? I’ll tell you why.
I am SICK AND TIRED of the media treating Conservatives like we are somehow NOT entitled to an opinion. That simply because we disagree with virtually everything President Obama is trying to do to this country that we are somehow bitter, angry, crazy, irrational, or get this RACIST. I’m sick and tired of having derogatory labels applied to movements like the Tea Parties that are created precisely to re-establish the values that our forefathers had the incredible foresight to establish. Somewhere down the road, we’ve lost sight of those core values and beliefs. Our country is GREAT precisely BECAUSE of these core values and beliefs and yet, so many people are willing to throw them out the window because they are perceived as unfair to the less fortunate, who have the same opportunities as the rest of us to succeed in life, I might add. Granted, they may have to fight an even steeper uphill climb, but the beauty of America is that it’s available – there are programs in place that help these very people, the people who don’t have the same advantage as others, to succeed.
You can NOT help people if they do not WANT to be helped. It really IS as simple as that.
And you can not cram policies down people’s throat when they don’t WANT THEM.
That’s why Scott Brown winning Massachusetts is such a big deal. The Democrats no longer have 60 seats in Congress. This means, they no longer have the power to ram bills through without discussion. They will now be FORCED to slow down and DISCUSS better options and come up with a better, more affordable, plan for EVERYONE. It’s also a clear message to Democrats that we are sick of their self-serving agendas and want our country back.
We are not angry at any one person, we are angry because no one is listening to our suggestions. We are angry because our country is changing and we feel powerless to stop it. We are angry because the Constitution is being ripped to shreds by people who honestly don’t care about us, the people, but care about power and control over us, the people. And I predict there will be even more Senate seats taken away from the Democrats in the upcoming months because you can’t ignore the wishes of the people and just expect life to go on as usual.
Democracy doesn’t work that way.
And because I’m not sure anyone reading this STILL understands where the Conservatives are coming from, and because it’s important to me to spell it out and make it crystal clear to those that are either too dense or too stubborn to take the time to understand, I’m going to include snippets from an article citing the differences between Conservatives and Liberals in an attempt to try and FURTHER explain why we are so different and why we will never see eye-to-eye. And though that’s frustrating and certainly slows the process down, it’s necessary. Because giving too much power to ANY party is never a good idea. People, no matter how well-intentioned, are only too human. If you give people too much power, it goes to their heads and they start doing stupid things (like our current administration). That’s why it’s absolutely necessary to have this checks and balances process in place so that BOTH parties are free to debate issues and to come up with compromises that seal the deal for all interested parties – not just a select few.
Taxes:
Conservatives believe in lowering taxes for all tax payers. Obviously, those who pay higher taxes will get the biggest break with an even percentage. Example, Mr. Smith makes $100,000.00 a year and his taxes are cut by $2500.00 while Mr. Jones makes $50,000.00 a year are cut by $1,250.00 The percentage is the same. The one who earns more gets more back. Common sense. Mr. Gray, meanwhile, paid no taxes because his income was too small. No tax cut will help him because he isn’t entitled to one.
Liberals want to increase taxes on those with higher incomes and give it to those with smaller incomes. They hope to tax the population into prosperity.
Size of Government:
Conservatives want a smaller, less intrusive government. Allow people to do what they want as long as it’s within the law.
Liberals want more control over the people. They want to limit as many rights as possible and keep control over all sorts of behavior.
Education:
Conservatives believe that education should be a matter of parental choice, not societal formulas.
Welfare:
Welfare is another sore subject, every election year. Conservatives believe in helping people get on their feet. If a single parent or family is in financial trouble beyond their ability to manage, Welfare is a good safety net. It was never intended to be a permanent lifestyle!
Foreign Enemies:
Though we would all LIKE to think that there is no evil out there, that no one would want to hurt America if only she were “nicer”, that’s not a realistic ideal. There are evil people out there and they want to hurt America because of our religious beliefs and for our independent, and successful lifestyle. We have the right, nay, the responsibility, to protect not only ourselves, but our fellow countrymen. The world will never be at peace – NOT until Christ comes back and to fool oneself into thinking otherwise is foolish and terribly naive.
Abortion:
Conservatives believe that life is sacred and has a right to continue unless it threatens others. Those who kill should have consequences to face. Those who attack the innocent should be held accountable. Those who have done no wrong must be protected.
Does this help at all? Because even though the media would like the majority of America to believe that Conservatives are ill-informed, cold, stupid, gun-toting idiots, that is simply not true. Conservatives are reasonable, rational, logical, caring, compassionate people who simply want to insure that life is FAIR to everyone.
And because so many of you, dear readers, are parents, let me put a parental spin on this analogy.
Here is the fundamental difference between a Liberal and a Conservative:
Sally and Dean have a twenty-year old son, Adam. Adam does not have a job, nor does he have any plans to go to college.
Liberal parents: Sally and Dean do nothing. They continue to allow their son to live with them. They do not make demands on him and they continue to pay for everything he needs. They don’t exactly coddle him, but they certainly don’t make any demands on him. They often make excuses for him when friends and family ask why he’s still living with them.
Conservative parents: Sally and Dean give Adam an ultimatum. If he wants to continue living with them, he has to either get a job and/or go to college and start actively working toward his independence. They stop buying him things rationalizing that if he wants these things, he can get a job and pay for them himself. They pressure their son to make his own life decisions and fully expect him to take responsibility for his own life.
Which set of parents, the Liberal or the Conservative, appear more compassionate?
Even though the Liberal parents appear more caring and compassionate, think about it. It’s almost cruel to make their son dependent on them for everything. By not pushing him to be his own person, to be responsible for his own life and seize the opportunities available to make something of his life, they are doing him more harm than good.
Though the Conservative parents seem cruel and unfeeling, they love their son enough to let him go – to allow him the freedom to make his own mistakes and feel good about his accomplishments. And they are there to encourage him when he gets discouraged and to cheer him on when he is successful.
THAT is the fundamental difference between a Liberal and a Conservative. So the next time you read a stereotype about how cold and unfeeling Conservatives are, perhaps you’ll remember this article and simply smile.
Because knowledge, freedom and independence? Truly IS powerful.
Write From Karen 