This is done over a period of several days to several weeks. These encyclicals are not written in one sitting and much thought goes into them. For the last couple of weeks, I have thought about what is a real conservative, what are the beliefs and what misconceptions and misinformation is out there.
I am a Reagan conservative. In short, I believe in what Reagan believed in, what he stood for and what was important to him. Now times have changed, there is a war against terrorism and not a cold war. Our enemies have changed to a degree, but our core beliefs remain the same.
I believe that the constitution is not a living, breathing document. As with the Bible, the changes in society and in our lifestyles do not change the meaning of the constitution. Simply put, the founders of this country felt that the words and meaning were written to stand the test of time. If you read Madison, Jefferson, Franklin or any of the founders, the Constitution as written was meant to serve us throughout time. Amendments could be added, but those crafted by the founders were the core that would let this country soar above all others.
The government is there for two reasons. It is there to protect our constitutional rights and to protect us from enemies both foreign and domestic. It is not there to limit our rights or to be a "nanny." The constitution is there to protect us from a government that would want to control us.
THE CONSTITUTION
We have the freedom to speak and associate with whoever we want. We have the freedom to worship as we wish and we have the freedom not to worship if we don't believe.
That does not mean that a small minority has the right to tell a speaker at a high school graduation that they cannot thank their God for their blessings if they want to.
There is no such thing as a "separation of Church and state." There is no such reference in the constitution. What the constitution states is that there will be no government run or endorsed religion, such as the "Church of England." It does not say that a Manager or Menorah cannot be placed on public property as a sign of respect to those members of the community who identify with those sects.
The constitution protects use from unwarranted searches and does not allow the government to take our property at a whim. The constitution also gives us the right to bare and keep arms.
OUR LAWS
Our laws and society are based on Judea-Christian laws. Almost all of our core laws, murder, theft, perjury are based on religious law given to Moses on the mountain top. Our society is based around these laws and based on the religious values of the community. We swear and take an oath on a Bible that we will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Our congress starts each session with a prayer and every inauguration of a President starts and ends with an invocation and benediction.
Every President, Vice President, member of congress, cabinet member and military personnel take an oath to "Preserve, protect and defend, the constitution of the United States, So help me God."
Our laws are there to protect our people and our society. Our Judea-Christian values demand that justice be blind and that each and every person receive a fair and balanced day in court.
THE MILITARY
The military is there to protect us. This is done in two ways. The first is the most desirable way and that is "To show they flag." An example of this is the way we use our Navy. First ports of calls are not just for sailors to drink and get laid. When we pull into ports, the citizens and the people in charge see the power and might of the United States and they think twice about starting trouble with us.
Imagine an aircraft carrier like the USS Reagan pulling into Singapore. The show of the massive weaponry shows not only the people of Singapore the power we have, but it also shows the Chinese the superior power that we have. Granted, the Chinese now have modern equipment and more of it, but they are no where near the technical level we are on. Of course, with more and more of the technical information being passed on to China, they may be at our level soon.
The second is to make war. War is a last resort and should be used sparingly, but it is an option that we should never take off the table. We have the most modern, well trained and deadliest military in the history of the world. In many respects, we don't know our own strength. When Bush 41 went to war against Iraq during the Gulf War, many felt he should march straight to Baghdad. Generals Powell and Schwarzkopf argued against going to Baghdad because of the "massive casualties" we would suffer.
Turns out when Bush 43 went to Baghdad, we were there in less than five days and the only casualties we suffered were basically self inflicted.
When we go to war it should be with a purpose, with strength and resolve and it should be swift and deadly. We cannot fight a "politically correct" war, we need to strike where the enemy is and not worry about the innocents. This sounds cold, but it is not. When the innocent realize our resolve, they will drive the insurgents out into the open rather than risk their own lives. When we do go to war we should go to win and we should have a clear exit strategy.
ECONOMICS
I believe that taxes should remain low for everyone. Studies and past experiences show that there is more economic growth and more revenue poured into the government when taxes are low. The argument that the rich do not pay their fair share of taxes is a pure and utter lie. The rich pay a majority of the taxes and create the wealth and jobs in this country.
When was the last time you saw someone on welfare sign a payroll check? Who do you think owns the companies that provide jobs? When someone who has wealth makes money, what do they do with it? They invest it to make more money. When the invest their money, it goes to companies to expand their operations, which in turn creates more jobs. When more jobs are created, more tax revenue is generated.
John F Kennedy believed in supply side economics as did Ronald Reagan. When Reagan fought for lower tax rates this country enjoyed the longest and most prosperous growth period in American history. Unemployment which was at 10.5% when Reagan took office and it was at 4% (which most economist describe as full employment) when he left office. Inflation was at 21.5% when Reagan took office and when he left it was under 2%. Interest rates were at 21.5% when Reagan took office and were down to 6% when he left office.
Over taxing the rich or anyone for that matter, does not lead to prosperity.
More jobs and wealth were created when taxes were lowered and the government enjoyed a windfall of revenue which they promptly wasted by expanding government and entitlement programs.
The government must take windfalls and "reinvest" the money into the programs they have "borrowed: from for years, like the Social Security Trust fund, the Medicare Trust Fund and the Highway Trust Fund. The government must learn to live within it's means and not mortgage the future to our children and grandchildren.
The progressive tax system is unfair and unreasonable. There is even a question of whether or not it was legally ratified. That said, with payroll taxes, state taxes, property taxes and sales taxes, Americans pay anywhere from 35-70% of their income in taxes depending on their income. A flat tax or a consumption tax would be the most fair approach. With the consumption tax you tap into a large segment of society known as the "underground economy." These are people who pay no tax, those who mostly deal in cash with no record of payments being made. With a consumption tax, everyone is forced to pay. If you buy something, you pay the tax.
Conservative estimates place the revenue from the underground economy to be somewhere around 50 billion dollars. That is the low ball estimate.
We need to balance our laws and regulations to allow the "free market" to work and do its job, but also allowing for those who prey upon others and who are unscrupulous in their deals to be brought to justice. We cannot just regulation and stifle free enterprise because someone "might" take advantage of the system. Those that work outside the law need to be held accountable for their actions.
The government has no right bailing out companies or industries. The free market will correct itself on its own and the government does not need to step in at every crisis and "take over" to correct a downturn.
Government stimulating of the economy does not help the situation, it only prolongs the hardship and does not correct the problem. It exacerbates the problem and only treats the symptoms, not the disease.
Government intervention has never worked as it was intended and has led to inflation, devaluation of the dollar and higher unemployment. A major study from USC Berkley found that FDR's actions during the great depression extended the depression 13 years, that they markets would have recovered sooner without any intervention by the government.
THE BORDERS
Our borders need to be protected and not from Pedro. While it is true that illegal immigration is putting a burden on our health care system, welfare system and economic system, the real reason for tighter border security is terrorism. God only knows what has crossed our borders since 2001. Anyone could have smuggled in nuclear or biological weapons a hundred times over. We have a right and a duty to know who has entered our country, why they are entering our country and what they are bringing to our country.
This is not an attack on Pedro, this is common sense.
SOCIETY IN GENERAL
We cannot really say that we are a country that promotes human rights when we ourselves do not protect the most vulnerable. If we continue to allow abortion on demand, then we as a society are lost and are not as free as we think we are. We have a moral and righteous duty to protect life, especially the life that cannot speak for or defend themselves.
We also need to protect the other most vulnerable members of society, that being our senior citizens. These are people who have worked their whole life, who helped to make this country what it is today and some of them have become the most dependent on our support. We should be celebrating their lives, not looking at them like they are a burden on society.
We need to help those less fortunate, those who cannot work or function because of legitimate medical conditions.
We need to help those who want to help themselves. For the urban gang-banger, we need to show them there is another way. We need to educate not just incarcerate. We as a society need to expand the education opportunities to those who are willing to work and who are willing to learn.
We need as a society need to make welfare limited and unattractive. If someone takes a lessor paying job, I have no problem with supplementing them with medicaid and food stamps as long as they continue to work. Starting jobs such as McDonald's and Burger King can and do provide valuable work experience and contrary to what some will tell you, can and do lead to better paying jobs.
We should not allow someone to make a career out of welfare. It should be a safety net and not a means of support. Allowing someone to remain on welfare is en-slaving them and making them dependent on you. Those on the liberal side know that they have made those on welfare dependent on them and cry at every election that they need to be re-elected, otherwise you will loose your benefits.
Providing someone with education means that those who become the educators should be qualified to teach. Just because a teacher has twenty years of service does not mean they are qualified. Teachers should be held to higher standards and should be judged and retained on the basis of merit. They should be tested and judged on the performance of their students. Higher wages for those who past the muster so to speak are reasonable and deserving. Those who do not qualify can be retrained for another line of work.
Our judges should be blind and follow the constitution. Everyone deserves their day in court before a fair and impartial judge. Their case should be judged on the merits of the case within the law, not because you have "empathy" for their cause.
The government cannot be allowed to take over the nation's health care system and run it like they have the Social Security System, Medicare or even the "Cash for Clunkers Program." As stated many times, we have the greatest healthcare system in the world that needs "adjusting" not ripped apart and rebuilt. We need tort reform. Doctors can't do their job if they can't afford malpractice insurance. Frivolous law suits need to be eliminated. Those without merit need to be thrown out. On the flip side, those doctors who are incompetent and who inflict damage on a patient need to pay and be held accountable.
Sleazy trial lawyers who prey on doctors, nurses and hospitals need to be run out of business. Those that "channel" dead children at trials and receive unwarranted judgements should be disbarred and not allowed to practice.
We need to have real choice in selecting health insurance. Right now the states limit the companies who can sell in their state, so if you find a better and cheaper plan for you in Ohio and you live in Pennsylvania, you can't buy it. We need to have an open market which will drive cost down. The insurance companies are not always the bad guys. Some have done some disgusting things, but others have served their customers well.
We need to look to ourselves for the solutions to our problems. We need to get back to the America where people looked out for each other and were there to support and help each other when it was needed. We need to take responsibility for ourselves and not look to the government to take care of us. As Reagan so eloquently said; "Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem."
We look to the government to protect us from the evils of fast food, tobacco, hot coffee etc., when we should be taking responsibility ourselves.
We are our brother's keepers and we have a responsibility and moral obligation to help the sick and unfortunate, the homeless and the prisoners. We do this through charity and volunteerism, not because we are forced to, but because we know that it morally right and to be quite honest, beneficial to us as a society. The old proverb that if you give a man a fish he eats for one day, but if you teach him how to fish, he eats for a lifetime is so true even today. We as a society need to help those who need a hand not a hand out and give those the opportunity to better their life.
Finally, we need to remember that this is the greatest country on the face of the earth. No one gets on a rubber raft to leave for Cuba. No one goes to France, Germany or Italy for medical treatment. No one goes to Moscow to live the Russian dream. People come to this country for the freedom, the opportunity and standard of living that we have.
Conservatives are not evil. They are not morons or rednecks, our cause is not to limit people's rights or freedoms or to keep this country from moving forward. Our beliefs and philosophy mean greater freedom for all and less government intrusion into everyone's lives.
Conservatives value and understand the free market system, but are not in bed with big business. Conservatives believe that everyone deserves to have the chance to succeed, prosper and reap the rewards of hard work.
Conservatives believe that public service is just that, service to the public, not a chance for someone to make a career on the backs of their constituents. A public servant works for you, you don't work for the public servant.
Conservatives believe that everyone is subject to the same laws and that special treatment just for some is not only illegal, but immoral as well.
Conservatives believe in equal rights for all and that new laws are not needed for special interest groups if the laws already on the books are enforced.
Conservatives believe that less government is good and that everyone should be responsible for their own actions.
We should be thankful for this country and work everyday to keep the freedom, opportunity and optimism alive.
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