PubliusInfinitum
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- Aug 18, 2008
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- #81
Well, Kevin, the definitions keep changing. Everyone throws conservative around as though it means something, but it means a different thing to each group. Hell I bet even the republicans on this board would have eight different definitions of it. Social conservative, that should go with religious. Neo, that should go with Wolfowitz etc. Fiscal, that should go with McCain. "True conservative" seems to be the label that each and everyone of them wants.
Conservative comes from the base conserve. I was thinking about this today, about how even scientists could be called conservative, because they have to reproduce and document and make such incremental progress, everything they publish is a conservative statement. They never go out on a limb, any particular paper or other is only like 0.1% more of a contribution than the paper before it. And they are damn careful to be sure of their work before they publish. That sounds conservative.
But scientists are not considered conservative. Mostly because they are liberal in their social beliefs, I think, which gets back to social being the cultural basis for conservative.
I have been thinking about small government and the Bush years of outsourcing work to contractors - This is supposed to "shrink" government but you know, it doesn't. Because now we can't even audit what happened to those tax dollars that were given to the private sector to do works so that the government could be "smaller."
So now, 'small government' is getting to be just as woolly of a concept as 'conservative.' At least to me, in general day to day discussions. Some people think it means less taxes, others think it means fewer congressmen etc, others think it means fewer regulations.
So when I say "they are the real conservatives because they want small government, right?" and you say you don't understand, what I am getting at is, are we associating one group of the conservatives (the "real" conservatives) with one of the 'small government' ideologies - and I had hoped to kinda figure out which ideology.
I think it will be hard to rebuild the party without a good grasp of what aspect of government should be small (no trouncing liberties, please) or without what type of conservative is the 'real' conservative. Seems like those things have to be spelled out, and a consensus reached. I am hoping that happens, because the party has totally imploded as far as I can tell.
ROFLMNAO...
Oh Cali...
This isn't complicated... but you're right that 'conserve' is the base concept from which 'one who advocates for conservation' AKA: Conservative or Conservationist is comprised...
At this point the question simply becomes, 'what is one seeking to conserve?' Conservatives seek to conserve the principles, upon which the United States is based; the principles upon which the US was founded... meaning Conservatives seek to conserve the foundation of the United States.
To be a real Conservative one merely has to know what those founding principles are... thus one must be of a sufficient intellect to be able to reason and this trait provides one with the irrefutable understanding that those principles do not change and are not invalidated when the subject shifts from 'social to economic'... One that is 'socially conservative, but fiscally liberal' is a LEFTIST... OKA: An Anti-AMERICAN. This is because THEY ADVOCATE FOR POLICY WHICH STANDS ANTI-THETICAL TO THE PRINCIPLES ON WHICH AMERICA STANDS. The same can be said for that most precious of all breeds: the economic conservative who is socially liberal... they're not a neo-con... they're not a liberal conservative... THEY ARE A LEFTIST!; an ANTI-AMERICAN... again, this is because they are incapable of REASON and as such they've taken to advocating for policy which stands ANTI-THETICAL TO THE PRINCIPLES ON WHICH AMERICA RESTS...
And this is why it is so dangerous to let these imbeciles control the language... because they blur and confuse the language by stripping it of contrast, on the basis that stark contrast is said to 'not be nice...' the very basis of political correctness; these simple concepts are only made difficult to understand where one lends credence to idiots... Idiots who have blurred the meaning of otherwise simple concepts, through a litany of inane rationalizations, designed to ease the burden of living up to simple principles, and bearing their weighty responsibilities.