Conservative. Liberal. Moderate. Political labels are thrown around constantly in an attempt to define a person's ideology. The problem is, political labels are absolutely meaningless today. Absolutely meaningless!
The reality of the situation is, neither conservatives nor liberals differ on many salient issues. The major beef between them has much more to do with who wields power and very little to do with ideology. Both conservatives and liberals merely use ideology as a ruse to dupe various constituencies. There is very little disagreement on policy.
Furthermore, where policy disagreements arise, there is little advantage between conservatives and liberals as to which group's policy is best for the country. For the most part, each is as often wrong (or right) as the other.
Let me provide a few examples. Let's start with areas where conservatives and liberals are for the most part agreed.
*Neither conservatives nor liberals believe in limited government. Both groups excel in spending taxpayers' money. Liberals want to tax and spend, while conservatives want to borrow and spend. But both want to spend. In fact, when it comes to federal spending, conservatives have proven themselves to be even more proficient than liberals.
*Neither conservatives nor liberals give a hoot about saving the lives of unborn babies. Both groups say they find abortion repulsive, etc., but neither group wants to protect the lives of unborn children from the abortionist's scalpel or from abortifacients such as RU-486.
Liberals openly endorse "a woman's right to choose" (to kill her baby), but conservatives such as President and Mrs. George W. Bush also maintain that Roe v Wade (the Supreme Court decision that gave federal sanction to abortion on demand) should NOT be overturned. People need to realize that it has been the Republican Party, not the Democratic Party, that has controlled the U. S. Supreme Court from 1973 (the year Roe became law) until the present.
*Both conservatives and liberals in Washington, D.C., have forced American culture and business to mainstream homosexuality.
*Neither conservatives nor liberals care a flip about obeying the U.S. constitution. Both conservatives and liberals routinely disregard the Constitution without hesitation and without regret. Being a conservative or liberal means nothing when it comes to fidelity to the Constitution.
*Both conservatives and liberals offer no resistance to a growing international New World Order. Both groups seem perfectly willing to sacrifice the independence and sovereignty of the United States to the United Nations and other multinational organizations.
*Immigration. Both conservatives and liberals support the continuation of allowing massive numbers of illegal aliens to work and reside in this country. In fact, on this subject, President Bush's policy is more egregiously in error than any policy put forward by former liberal presidents, including those of Bill Clinton. President Bush wants to legalize illegal aliens by granting them "guest worker" status. This amnesty program is especially disconcerting when one factors in the need to secure America from potential terrorists. How conservatives can support a policy which sends American troops half way around the world to fight terrorism while at the same time throwing open the doors of illegal immigration allowing any and all potential terrorists to infiltrate our own land is the height of absurdity!
The list goes on almost without end. Now, let's look at a few areas where conservatives and liberals seem to differ. First, here is where conservatives have it right:
*Gun control. For the most part, conservatives seem to favor the Constitutional right of American citizens to defend themselves. In all likelihood, it is this issue that is most responsible for the Democrats losing control of the White House and Congress. That is why, for the most part, liberals are silent or even support the Second Amendment now. But it wasn't ideology that changed them. It was the fact that since gun control advocates don't fare well at the polls these days, liberals have decided to drop (for the mean time) the issue.
*The right of the American people to publicly acknowledge God. For the most part, conservatives have at least a rudimentary understanding of America's Christian heritage and support the public recognition of God.
I need to put a caveat here and admit that when it comes to conservatives having the courage of their convictions on this point, there is anything but a stellar record. For example, what good did it do Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore that there was a conservative Republican governor or a conservative Republican attorney general in Alabama? What good did it do him that there was a conservative Republican in the White House or a conservative Republican attorney general in Washington? What good did it do him that many, if not most of the churches in Alabama are led and attended by conservative Christians? The answer: it did him no good whatsoever. It was conservative Republicans, through either their inaction or collaboration with liberals, that hung Judge Moore out to dry!
*In general, conservatives have it right about the need for a strong national defense.
Now, here are a few issues where liberals have it right: *Liberals more often than not rightly oppose the numerous "free trade" agreements that are destroying America's manufacturing industries and transferring jobs (and national sovereignty) overseas.
On the subject of free trade, Democrats and trade unions are right more often than not. Conservatives should be ashamed of themselves for bowing to these multinational and supranational organizations who, for the love of money, are willing to lead America into the sewer of internationalism.
A caveat on this subject: liberals should step up to the plate and stop excusing Democratic leaders when they betray this issue. Can anyone say, "Bill Clinton"? You will remember that it was Bill Clinton along with then Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole who (in the middle of the night, no less) gave us NAFTA and GATT.
*Liberals are the ones who are leading the fight against the erosion of Constitutional protections of our individual liberties. Again, conservatives should be ashamed of themselves! By supporting the Patriot Act, the Department of Homeland Security, the creation of a new National Intelligence Director, etc., conservatives are quickly morphing into little National Socialists.
For a legal review of the Patriot Act and how it is destroying our liberties, go to my web site at: http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/TimBaldwin.htm. This article was written by my youngest son who is an attorney.
I applaud liberals for having the guts to oppose President Bush's attempts to eviscerate our liberties under the rubric of "fighting terrorism." It is shameful that conservatives are ignoring Bush's attacks against the Constitution!
*The war in Iraq. Liberals are right to oppose the war in Iraq. The war is unconstitutional and without merit. As everyone now knows, the Bush administration repeatedly lied to the American people regarding the justification for this war. Beyond that, it appears that President Bush intends to expand the war into Syria and Iran.
America now seems determined to ignore the sagacious words of John Quincy Adams who in repeating America's founding policy regarding foreign intervention said, "America goes not abroad seeking monsters to destroy." However, that is exactly what George W. Bush and today's conservatives are doing.
As you can readily see, political labels mean nothing. On the crucial issues of our day, both conservatives and liberals are equally culpable in supporting bad policies, and conservatives and liberals are wrong as much as they are right regarding policies in which they differ. It is becoming extremely important that the American people begin looking past political labels and determine to support or oppose each policy (regardless of which group is promoting it) based solely on its merit. If we don't begin doing this soon, both conservatives and liberals in Washington, D.C., will destroy what is left of this great constitutional republic.
© Chuck Baldwin
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