Manning345 Loc: Richmond, Virginia

The essence of Conservatism in government is to preserve and reinforce the good things, good ideas, and good laws in the nation, and to work diligently to eliminate the bad things, bad ideas and bad laws as permanently as possible. The key question is obviously: What are the good things, good ideas, and good laws? Conversely, what are the bad things, bad idea, and bad laws?

The list to follow represents an attempt to define good and bad by specifying a number of good and bad elements in our society, totally from my point of view. It is apparent that the list could be extended beyond the 36 items in each case.

While these things, ideas and laws are not precisely all good or all bad, the tendency is to group them into good and bad lists, with the understanding that in the process of undoing a bad thing, idea or law, its good part will be preserved by government as nearly as possible. As in most cases in life, the Devil is in the details.

So, you are a Conservative if you sign up to:

Good Things, Good Ideas, and Good Laws

1. Truth and Honesty

2. Freedom and Liberty, Including Right of Property Ownership

3. Morality and Moral Rectitude

4. Christian Religion, Charity and Religious Tolerance

5. Natural Law (Reference "The 5000 Year Leap", W. Cleon Skousen)

6. Natural Rights "

7, Natural Duties "

8. The Declaration of Independence

9. The Constitution of the United States (Read Plainly)

10. The Federal System: A Sovereign Nation with State's Rights

11. Maintaining Checks and Balances on Power in Government

12. An Electoral System as Prescribed by the Constitution

13. Customs, Traditions, and Institutions Designed to Preserve the Nation

14. Individual Responsibility

15. Common Sense and Practicality: Individuals, Localities, States, Nation

16. Fiscal Responsibility and Frugality in Government

17. Balanced Budgets Yearly, with Debt and Debit Reductions Included

18. Prudent Changes to Laws as Needed

19. Prudent and Humane Foreign Policies

20. A Superior and Modern Defense Force

21. Subsidiarity: Make Decisions at the Lowest Level of Government

22. Free Market System with Adequate Regulation

23. Trade and Mutual Defense Treaties with other Nations

24. A Space Policy and Program to Keep the Nation at the Forefront

25. A Judicial System that is bound only to interpret the Laws of the Nation

26. A Legislative System that can extend the Laws at the will of the people

27. The Will of the People is Represented Properly

28. Prudent Stewardship of the Nation’s Land and Natural Resources

29. Strict Maintenance of the Sovereignty of the Nation and the States

30. Participation in Global efforts to improve other Nations

31. Effective and Well-Policed Immigration Policies and Procedures

32. Government Seed Money Properly Used

33. Socially Conservative Principles

34. Just Killing (Death Penalty), and Just War

35. Care for the Poor, the Ill, the Disabled, the Old, and the Handicapped

36. Majority Rule with Minority Protections


Eliminating Bad Things, Bad Ideas, and Bad Laws

1. Lies and Dishonesty in Government

2. Any Further Government Restrictions on Freedom and Liberty

3. Moral Relativity, Multiculturalism Diversity, Politically Correct Speech and Indiscrimination

4. Full Secularization and Suppression of Christianity

5. Laws Impinging on the Natural Order

6. Laws Impinging on Natural Rights

7 Shirking Natural Duties

8. Bending the Declaration Improperly

9. Bending or Subverting the Constitution

10. Increasing Federal Power at the Expense of the States

11. Subverting the Checks and Balances

12. Championing a Fully Democratic Election (No Electoral College)

13. Trashing the Existing Customs, Traditions and Institutions

14. Supporting Collectivism: i.e. Socialism, or Communism in Power

15. Flights of Do-Good-ism, Irrationality, and Undue Humanitarianism

16. Tax and Spend and Tax and Spend ad nauseam

17. Deficit Spending Year-in and Year-out

18. Imprudent and Hasty Changes that End up Being Counterproductive

19. Uneven or Detrimental Policies Towards the World of Nations

20. A Mediocre, Out-of-date or Deficient Military

21. Keeping Decision-Making at a Very High Level Unnecessarily

22. Overregulation or even Collectivizing the Economy

23. Looking Inward not Outward: Isolationism

24. Killing the Space Programs

25. Judicial Activism and Allowing Foreign Influences in Decisions

26. Government that Ignores the Will of the People

27. The Will of the People is Actively Thwarted

28. Poor Stewardship of our Natural Resources and Land

29. Allowing Foreign Influences to Impinge on our Sovereignty

30. Ignoring the Plight of Other Nations

31. Not Solving either Immigration Problem: Illegals; or Desirables.

32. Government Takeover of Industry

33. Social Hedonism, Secular Humanism

34. Unjust Killing and Unjust War

35. Minimizing the Care Needed by the Unfortunate

36. Minimizing Minority Protections

badbob85037

Are you sure that second list isn't the goals of the Democrat party?

Manning345 Loc: Richmond, Virginia

It could represent quite a few of their ideas, especially the Progressives, but also the Socialists and Communists that are still lurking here and there.

E

Interesting and a very long list. Many damn good points.

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

It is BOTH the bad things conservetists are against and the platform of the Democrat (socialist) party.

Rainrider Loc: Lovington NM

HOw true it is.

badbobby Loc: texas

seems you might be mixing things up Mr Manning

Manning345 Loc: Richmond, Virginia

Oh? How so? Do you want to clarify your comment?

You do realize this is MY formulation of good and bad??

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

Today's Democrat party includes all of the above. It has been years since the Democrat party had anything whatsoever with true liberalism as reflected in the Founding Fathers.

Manning345 Loc: Richmond, Virginia

All of the above? Are you including the list of bad things too? Your candidate for the Presidency, Hillary Clinton, called herself a Progressive Democrat. Now Progressivism is just one shade away from Collectivism, which is most definitely on my bad list.

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

All of the above as in progressive, Marxist and socialist, that was the post to which I was responding.

Manning345 Loc: Richmond, Virginia

OK, you stated all of the above! You do recognize that my post had both a "good' list AND a "bad" list, and that every item listed in the "good" list had its bad opposite in the "bad" list? So your "all of the above" in fact includes every item in the "bad" list as well as every item in the "good" list.

For me, progressive, Marxist, and socialist items are fundamentally in the "bad" list.

badbob85037

Don't kid your self these Progressives aren't socialist, or anything else but New world order UN communist

Manning345 Loc: Richmond, Virginia

My bad list, no 14, for example, specifically rejects collectivism, socialism, and communism across the board. For me, this includes those in the progressive camp as they bear the hallmarks of collectivism, if not disguised communism.

Rainrider Loc: Lovington NM