…from Ted Cruz:
“The people to whom I believe I am accountable are the men and women in Texas… who knocked on doors, who made phone calls, who stood up and said ‘Please, help turn this country around.”
via Palin Rips ‘GOP High Roller Machine’: ‘Their Money Can’t Buy Elections Anymore’.
…is as fine an example of Conservatism trumps Progressivism in one paragraph that I’ve ever read.
It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning can not be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary.
You may be wondering where I got this fine gem, nay, this masterpiece of a quote from. Well, if you must know, and you must! It comes from Heritage.org and their piece on Calvin Coolidge.
You really should read all about it right here: Calvin Coolidge: Forefather of Our Conservatism
What a great read.
…Forefather of Our Conservatism.
Another great read from Heritage.org
Calvin Coolidge is the only President in American history born on the Fourth of July. It is appropriate that he bears this distinction, since Coolidge—more so than any other President of the 20th century—embodied a dedication to the principles that the Founders fought to establish in the American Revolution. In addition, he lived at a time when these principles came under radical assault, and Coolidge, a fierce critic of Progressivism, offered one of the greatest defense of these principles. He is an intellectual and political forefather of modern American conservatism.
…to our problems, government is the problem.” A wise man once said.
This is an excellent video.
If this doesn’t convince you to vote for Conservatism, nothing will.
Or as my uncle used to say: “horsefeathers!”
Really.
This is an excellent article.
Please read.
We commonly read or hear reports to the effect that “If trend X continues, the result will be disaster.” The subject can be almost anything, but the pattern of these stories is identical. These reports take a current trend and extrapolate it into the future as the basis for their gloomy prognostications. The conclusion is, to quote a character from a famous British sitcom, “We’re doomed, I tell you. We’re doomed!” Unless, that is, we mend our ways according to the author’s prescription. This almost invariably involves restrictions on personal liberty.
These prophets of doom rely on one thing—that their audience will not check the record of such predictions. In fact, the history of prophecy is one of failure and oversight. Many predictions (usually of doom) have not come to pass, while other things have happened that nobody foresaw. Even brief research will turn up numerous examples of both, such as the many predictions in the 1930s—about a decade before the baby boom began—that the populations of most Western countries were about to enter a terminal decline. In other cases, people have made predictions that have turned out to be laughably overmodest, such as the nineteenth-century editor’s much-ridiculed forecast that by 1950 every town in America would have a telephone, or Bill Gates’s remark a few years ago that 64 kilobytes of memory is enough for anyone.
Interesting free online home study course offered by Cato institute.
Check it out if you’re interested in stimulating your ideas in liberty.
Enjoy.
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For that, you can turn to the Cato Home Study Course. It offers you the opportunity to deepen your perspectives, knowledge, and insight through exposure to some of the world’s most compelling thinkers. The growth of human freedom – and with it science, culture, and capitalist prosperity – are examined, explained, and clarified through the works and ideas of some of our civilization’s most brilliant thinkers. Mastering their ideas can make you a more effective advocate of freedom, a more informed and interesting member of your community, and someone more people will turn to for guidance and insights.
Little has changed in the way Americans respond to certain words. I think their skewed on the “progressive” word. Here’s the breakdown:
Group Sample Size Plus or minus …
Total sample 1,521 3.5 percentage points
Republicans 380 6.5 percentage points
Democrats 489 5.5 percentage points
Independents 569 5.0 percentage points
From the Pew Research Center:
Little Change in Public’s Response to ‘Capitalism,’ ‘Socialism’
A Political Rhetoric Test
The recent Occupy Wall Street protests have focused public attention on what organizers see as the excesses of America’s free market system, but perceptions of capitalism – and even of socialism – have changed little since early 2010 despite the recent tumult.
The American public’s take on capitalism remains mixed, with just slightly more saying they have a positive (50%) than a negative (40%) reaction to the term. That’s largely unchanged from a 52% to 37% balance of opinion in April 2010.
I have often wondered what it is that a person should do about being conservative and having a Republican Party that is left of center on many issues. It’s like having two Democrat Parties. Democrat deep left, or Democrat slightly left. I don’t like either one.
I want conservatism. Right of center. No compromising on principles of conservatism, no bipartisan schmucks that say they’re conservative and turn around and stab us in the back.
On Conservatism:
Conservatism’s Dilemma: To be or not to be in the GOP
By Larrey Anderson
The GOP heavily (almost exclusively) relies on conservatives for grassroots campaign workers and financial support. But the Republican Party has a long history of exploiting conservatives’ efforts and misusing conservatives’ financial contributions. In many ways, the situation is reminiscent of an abusive marriage. Is it time for conservatives to finally recognize the lies and abuse and move out of the house? Or is some sort of reconciliation still possible?
I will make my position clear from the outset. A divorce by conservatives from the GOP would be a disaster for all of the parties involved. Just like most marriages, the grass may look greener on the other side of the fence — but it almost always isn’t. This is true for the GOP and for conservatives.
The “big tent” speeches may be staple rhetoric of the GOP hierarchy; but, if conservatives pack up and leave, the GOP will be a big empty tent. (This mass migration would include the growing number of black and Hispanic conservatives in the GOP. These good hard working people are in the GOP because they understand and live by conservative principles — not because they are part of some equal opportunity RNC scheme.)
Truth, Lies and In Between 