Yes, I am an unabashed Goldwater conservative. Unlike most Republicans, I have never veered from that path. I was a One World give everybody everything liberal until I read Barry's book in the early sixties. I had to rethink my whole outlook on life in the political and social realms.
Unlike today's neo-cons, we feel that small, fiscally responsible government is an ideal. The federal government has little or no business being in any area other than defense, international relations, and maybe the fringes of interstate commerce such as infrastructure. Remember, government jobs by their nature and definition are totally non-productive and therefore a drain on our economy and society.
The feds have absolutely no jurisdiction in housing, education, or health.
No where in the constitution does it say the feds belong in our bedrooms or doctor's offices.
This brings me the social aspects of being a conservative. We are our "brother's keeper" no matter what those brothers (or sisters) look like, where they live, what sexual orientation they have, or what other classification is enjoined. In my opinion, it simply means it is none of the federal government's business to interfere with our lives; nor is it any business of state or local government if it means regulating those lives.
Examples of this are:
- Abortion is a matter between a woman, her husband (the father), her doctor, and their God. It is no one else's concern, most especially government. If churches or other organizations want to promote alternatives in a peaceful and unthreatening manner, fine.
- Marriage is an artificial construct of past governments under the influence of religion. If two (or more) people want to establish a formal arrangement between them, they should have our blessing, and should not be penalized in any social contract or government area such as taxes.
- Taxes should be fair and not used to adjust and affect social concerns, such as housing credits, family sizes, etc. The fairest forms of taxes are user, consumer, and flat taxes
- In summary, no conservative would ever utter the horrid words, "there ought to be a law!"
In the current election, the proof is that the extremist liberals on the right were sent home. Republicans forgot who they were and from whence they came. They promised enlightenment and change with the Compact of 1994 but that was lost long before it could be implemented. Good riddance as far as I'm concerned.
Later in life, Goldwater said there would be no place in the Republican Party for us; that the party would consider us liberal. He was right, and that has to change or the party will be relegated to the bone heaps of history as the Democratic Party has been. This election was not a victory for them, but a loss for the Republicans. Things have to change and we have to change them.
For more go to Bert Sledge, P.I.The Hammer
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Comments: 19
person MUST a social progressive/liberal.
I balance my check book. The government should, also.
I believe in personal freedom.
I believe people have the right to make
personal decisions. I DO NOT want the
government telling me how to live my life
He was mean, cruel, & he beat his wife & his daughter BUT he
LOVE Barry Goldwater.
I will NEVER be able to separate this DESPICABLE man from the
man he loved Barry Goldwater.
"W" was a Barry Goldwaterette!
They are BOTH dead, GOOD!
I am truly sorry for your situation, and Barry was only human, and regretted his short comings as a father; however, that does not negate his ideology. We as human beings have to try and strive to be better.
Personal accountability and responsibility are the foundations of a workable life and government. These were also the basic principles of the founding fathers and can be adapted to anything.
PS. Hillary was a "Goldwater" girl.
The Hammer
Barry Goldwater is DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!
You don't need a QUACK to balance a check book!!!!!!!
I agree with Barb P
I don't need a philosphy to be responsible.
I work, pay my bills, feed and clothe my family.
I am responsible.
Barry Goldwater is dead. America is a FREE country.
Chairman Mao, Adolph Hitler, Joe Stalin had a philosphy
as did Barry Golldwater.
was nuts.
How do any of you disagree with anything I have said other than to call Goldwater bad names?
I simply said small government, personal accoutnability, personal responsiblibility, personal freedom, government off our backs, take care of each other.
Now where is the world do any of you disagree with that?
Name calling is pretty petty.
Let's try and keep it to facts and logic, please!
In our early beginnings, States rights were a big issue, but we formed a Union in spite of it. We've never quite conquered the subject. Now we seem to look to the Feds for everything from health care to death taxes. And even at State level, we seem to disagree on what the government should tell us to do.
The questions seem to be: (1) how do we remain one strong nation, with individual state rights? And (2) where does a State draw the line of tolerance? I keep asking this question, and no one has answered it yet.
Do you vote with the religious right dominated GOP who want to
control our daily lives?
I am a physical ceservative and a social liberal.
I believe in live & let live.
The Jerry Falwells & Pat Robertsons scasre the hell out
of me.
I couldn't agree with you more. Go to my blog and read some other things. The religious right would hang me out to dry.
The reason the Republicans lost was that they turned liberal and tried to cover it up with "Praise Jesus' to get the vote.
The religious right is every bit as scary as the wacko left of the Democratic party.
How anyone could think that someone who could have voted for the Patriot Act could ever be called a conservative, I'll never know.
The Hammer
state senate.
Now, maybe, the pandering to every group will stop.
The GOP had been passing laws banning this & that
kissing up to stay in power.
American Ayatollah's are dangerious.
Most laws should be deleted.
I supported John McCain in 2000.
Bush said McCain was unfit to be president because he had been a POW.
John McCain campaigned for George.
John McCain betrayed my vote by campaigning for George.
The GOP rule: speak no evil of another GOPer is slang for I have
no morals & I want to win elections at all costs.
I read that a group of Liberterians have moved to NH &
are recruiting others so the Liberterian Party can have influnence.
What's your opinion?
How can physical conservatives/social liberals make a difference?
How can we counter the influence of the religious fundalmentalist?
What can we do to MAX our influence?
I don't have a good answer. But I do know that we have to find one. I have kept quiet myself for about fifteen years because I got very tired of beating my head against the wall. Back then no one wanted to listen they just wanted to continue with their own personal lives and damn the future.
For seventy years the public believed the hosre manure that the Classic Liberals dished out, both Republican and Democratic. Now for the last 15 years they blindly followed all of the Neo-cons, and Neo-Libs. Both sides just pandering for votes.
I for one won't be silent anymore. Our nation has been sold out to special interests of all sorts, for votes and power, and this is from both sides of the aisle. Congress is for sale and will be so even though some of the faces have changed.
I ask that every freedom loving, straight thinking, responsible person start screaming from the rooftops that the time has come that we take our country back.
More will come from me, and I do mean specifics. Stayed tuned, I have sixty years of thinking, studying and debate to draw from and I will be heard this time. Thank God for the internet.
If you see something that you klike pass it on.
The Hammer
The most telling event, the litmus test of American social/political sentiment in the last few years was Katrina. America expected the government to DO SOMETHING. They expect Uncle Sam to have his act together, sweep in with supplies and repair and make us proud. They did not expect one of our great cities to look like a 3rd world dump for months on end. America instinctively expected the government to take care of it. That gut reaction is cold political reality, as Bush learned to his dismay. Regardless of merit, the ideology of small non intrusive govenment is not reality.