I saw this on another thread, where a liberal was demanding someone show the top conservative accomplishments of the last 20 years. He said "there are none" and the debate began. I thought this was a HUGE question and of great importance. BUT, not in the context he was asking. Thats why it's so imporant. Here is the answer:
To find the greatest accomplishments of conservatism in the last 20 years, you CANNOT look for big government accomplishments, as conservatism is not reflected through big government, it is reflected through individual accomplishment and freedom! It is reflected through family values, good parenting at home, setting one's children up for future success, etc, etc. It is reflected by what is possible when the government gets out of the way, and responsible behavior leads one's life.
If you see a set of grandparents enjoying their golden years out of debt, with their children living a modest but independent life, debt free, out of trouble, and grandchildren in school, not in jail, living well, thats a conservative success story.
If you see a small business that opens up, with owners working 70 hours a week to get by, selling an honest product and good service, then expanding by 2 stores, then by 5, then by 10, then by 50, then going publicly traded.....thats a conservative success story.
If you see a selfless soldier or cop, carrying a gun into a danger area, on behalf of strangers, and getting no recognition or wealth from it, that is a conservative success story.
If you see an ex-con released from jail, clean up his life, accept Christ as his savior, then begin preaching to inner city youth about the dangers of the fast life, and helping minister to those kids who have no one to look up to.........and just ONE of those kids gets that message, stays away from drugs, gangs and jail, and gets out of the ghetto to live a better life, that is a conservative success story.
If you see an inner city youth, with no father at home, surrounded by gangs, hip hop culture, drugs, etc, that instead focuses on academics and athletics, graduates, goes to college, gets married, has a family and a business, and sets HIS kids up to live a better life than he did, thats conservative values in action.
And the idea behind conservatives in government is to minimalize the impact of government on a free society as to produce the best opportunity for more of the above success stories to happen. Conservative success stories are anytime a person takes responsiblity for his own debt, his own health, his own education, his own family, his own freedom, his own children.
And that is why you will seldom be able to point to a big government legislative act to reflect the ideals of conservatism, because conservative success is reflected in the glory and success of the individual, not in the glory and success of legislation that will promise an individual something that he should be earning on his own.
greatest conservative accomplishments?
well
they worked real hard to destroy shannon faulkner when she became the first female at the citadel because they do NOT want females allowed in military institutes....
the way they did NOT want blacks allowed in those same institutes....
oh
wait...
they LOST both of those fights....
well
they worked REAL hard to deny gays the right to marry....
but they appear to be losing THAT fight, too....
well
they HATE pot smokers and want to continue to have BIG GOVERNMENT LAWS to deny people the FREEDOM to smoke pot...
but they appear to be losing ground on THAT issue all over the country, too....
well
they want creationism taught along side evolution....
at least until they can have evolution removed from schools....
but
they are losing THAT issue, too....
they want people to stop saying "happy holidays" and force them to say "jesus h christ! is the reason for the season...."
but they aren't winning THAT battle, either....
they want America acknowledged as a CHRISTIAN NATION so they can litigate the bible as the law of the land....
but that isn't working out for them, either....
they want sex before marriage outlawed, and abortion outlawed, and divorce outlawed....(the way freedom loving people should)
but they are losing all of those battles, too....
about the only thing they HAVE accomplished is to get sane and rational people to realize just what deranged, hatefilled, lying hypocrites they are....
however
here are some liberal accomplishments...;
gays are out and about everywhere and nobody cares any more
gays have spousal rights all over the country and are gaining ground for marriage rights
blacks and white marry and nobody cares any more, not even bob jones university
women are in ALL the military institutes
more and more people are more inclined to accept gays in the military
antiquated and draconian pot laws are being re-thought all over the country
divorce is EASY to get (just ask all those anti-divorce conservatives with all those divorces and marriages...like gingrich and limbaugh)
everyone has sex before marriage
lots of people don't even bother to get married any more
atheism is on the rise with up to 15% of the population
women, blacks, minorities are in prominent positions in the military, the workplace, politics...
seems like liberals are doing pretty good.....