So What is MY Solution?
Earlier today one of my more left-leaning friends very respectfully requested for me to post more positive news items once in a while or perhaps a solution or two forwarded by the Republicans. After considering her request, this is what how I responded. Your thoughts? Scroll to the bottom to leave a comment!
“Truthfully, I’m surprised you’ve hung on this long with all my rants and raves. Remember the good ol days when neither of us knew each other’s politics? Maybe that was better… Anyways, practically, you should definitely “Hide” me from your newsfeed… that way, when you wanna check in on me and see some recent photos, you can… but you’re not force-fed my conservative points of view…
Frankly, I see your point, but I’m not sure what to say. What would you have said to Bush regarding the Iraq war? What was the Democrats’ solution to that? Pull out, get out, let the people of Iraq govern themselves, right? Well, that’s the solution I along with so many conservatives want. We don’t have an alternative Universal Healthcare Plan… because we don’t want one. We think that’s the wrong approach…. And the right approach, according to us, is to get government out. They have already caused massive problems with healthcare within and because of Medicare/Medicade…. I guess I’d also throw in tort-reform so doctors wouldn’t feel so threatened all the time with the onslaught of lawsuits that are brought against them. Anyways, yeah, that’s my solution is… leave us alone. Stop expanding government, raising the deficit to 4x what it was last year and promising to spend more in the next 10 years than what has been spent in the last 230ish years combined. Small government. Leave the power in the people’s hands. In the past 8 months, government has been growing exponentially… which if republicans ever come back in control, is that what democrats want to hand them? All that power consolidated into so few hands… just handed over to the opposite political party? See how volatile and unwieldy and unstable that is?
That’s why I inherently trust the conservative approach more. A true conservative gets elected to LIMIT and DECREASE his/her power and influence. (PS – George Bush was not a conservative in my book. I liked many of his policies…. but he abandoned me and conservatives in several key ways… most notably when he said something like “I have to abandon free market principles to save the free market system.” Grrr…). Democrats get elected on expanding and strengthening their power. I just can’t stand behind that approach. Even if Obama was the most honest and upstanding guy, he’s still gonna have to hand over the ballooning government to someone else in 4 or 8 years… how can we know if that guy/gal is going to uphold our values and ideologies? What if he/she doesn’t? Now, the newly elected official will have the biggest government in our nation’s history to use at his/her disposal. If government is kept small, and it fears its people, that’s when a nation is safest from the abuses of power that so often plague the political system.
So maybe you see my dilemma now more clearly. I can’t just keep saying that my solution is to have no solution, to let freedom and the ingenuity and creativity of 300 million of the most free people on the planet come up with these solutions. Conversely, I feel the need to continue to point out government waste and its consequences so people can better understand why government is rarely the solution and most often the problem….
A good clear explanation of why conservatives should stay on message and not water down their philosphy. To me the purpose of your site is to alert people to the mischief that comes from the White House and the other side of the aisle. A rule thumb is this: when a liberal tells you to be nice, that is usually followed, figuratively speaking, by a sucker punch.
P S
You could tell them that you’ll gladly post the news of Obama leaving the White House for good when that day finally arrives.
2012 baby!
JASON: there needs to be balance to everything… progress has to happen all fronts, capitalistic and socialistic, give a little, take a little, work together, appreciate the balance we all bring to the larger community… I’m sure anyone’s comments here on facebook are intended to bring balance to each discussion
JIMMY: There was Progress.. and its call AMERICA. Land of the free, home of the brave. are you saying that there are elements of socialism that represent progress??? One more question Jason… Do you believe that man is inherently good?
JASON’S RESPONSE:
Not sure where that thread moved to, but in reply to Mr. Stock’s comments, let me guess, you’ve probably lived in the same state or same town your whole life. You feel entitled to keep ‘America’ exactly what it was when you were born into it in the 1950s. A country run by Anglo-saxons that was using its economic & political power to separate itself from the rest of the world. It’s a shame so many Americans think this country is a world unto itself. This place is a melting pot, and it just happens that the Anglos got here first and had more power, but things will keep changing. America is the leader in promoting and protecting certain freedoms… but the NRA-lovin’ type Americans are going to have to give some ground as this country changes.
MORE JASON:
I’m only speaking from experience… two years ago I wanted to make a documentary… it seemed like the America I grew up in hardly existed anymore… it was depressing… I wanted to go out and see if we could stir up enough nastalgia and recollections from good folks to remembered the good values and regional cultures that existed… it’s taken a lot of personal growth to come to terms with the fact that America is what is always has been and that the world goes through cycles… I’m a Heartlander who has worked the land, lived in the woods, raised animals, but have also lived in or near big cities… some of the social aspects of our history are downright depressing, and you still see the blight in many of our cities… that’s why I think we need balance
Jason – 1963 to be exact. Ca – 15 years, St. Louis 3 years, Palm Springs 2 years, Elsah 2 years, AZ 7 years, Jacksonville Florida 7 years and St. Louis for 8 years. Canada, Mexica, Bahamas, Jamaca, Belize, Italy, Germany, England, France, China, Mongolia, Poland, Switzerland, Russia, and Japan are all stamped on my passport. My kids have been to even more.. including south Korea and India. FYI– those white, alglo, gun toting, christians did not set up America so that it would be run by Anglo-saxons and seperate itself from the rest of the world. America is not a world unto itself.. America is the greatest country in the history of mankind… If you do not understand that then there is nothing I will ever say to change your mind. As for your gun comment.. let me guess.. you are a pasifist too…. Didnt want to assume anything there.. just wondering what you think we should all use to defend our lives and our property with?
Please not I did not mean any of my comments to be personal in nature.. Just interested in having a lively discussion with intelligent people. Happy to have a dialouge.. no interest in name calling.
Well, let’s go out and sing another round of Lee Greenwood’s ‘Proud to Be An American!’ I was going to ask if you are drunk tonight, or generally just like to call out people you don’t know by name and tell them how right you are and how wrong they are… but since you made the disclaimer that your comments aren’t personal and you’re not interested in name calling, I guess I completely support your way of networking on facebook.
By the way, Stock, I have nothing personal against your ideals. I only jumped back in on this thread after your first comments to try to diffuse some of the pot shots you took at a woman who I used to work with and whose profession I highly respect. I’m not sure why you’re inferring pacifist – I believe in a strong military – but if you don’t like me sticking up for women, you can call me whatever you want.
Jason, not sure what pot shots I took. My beliefs are not based on whether someone is a male of female. I absolutely am passionate about my love for America, and I do believe the idea of America is under attack. The changes that are occurring in our country are for the most part not changes that I support. If one is in favor of the new direction then it would follow that my comments qualify as opinionated and mean spirited. On the other hand if one believes as I do that an oppressive government is what our forefathers were running from not to and that if we do not take a stand against these attacks we are in danger of losing that which we love.. well then my comments might not seem that offensive.
It is interesting how divided we all have become. I don’t believe it is because of the 24 hour news cycle, or because of the “crazies” at the town hall meetings, or the other crazies who disrupt conservative speakers on college campuses. I believe we are divided because America is divided. The hostility and mean-spirited attacks, are the norm not because people are meaner then they use to be, but because so many people are passionate their beliefs. The reason we are passionate is because these conflicting idea are coming to a head. While I have no idea who you are my guess is that if we met at a super bowl party we would most likely have gotten along just fine.
But we didn’t. We met through a format where people share their ideas on issues that matter. Truth is 90% of the people I call my friends could care less and are most likely just as offended as you with my comments.. even if they agree with my general position.
I do wish there was a better way for me to share my passion without being offensive. I do have several good friends who stand firmly on the other side of the aisle. I would not pretend to suggest that there is any chance I will change my fundamental beliefs that guide my thoughts and actions.
In the end I get one vote and you get one vote. I will try to influence as many people as I can, and you will most likely do the same.. that is our right. We can agree to disagree. But I will always fight for the country that I love. Perhaps some day we both can have a more thoughtful discussion about what exactly it is that we disagree on.
As for your friend you worked with. Let her know that my comments were aimed at her idea that it is governments place to take care of everyone. I am sure she is a nice lady. Have a great day.