manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

Let us reaffirm our beliefs
(First of several parts)

We Conservatives must reaffirm our beliefs and our programs for the future. Realistic self-examination is never a pleasant act, but it is necessary to be able to proceed with the faith and confidence in our cause.

So what are our beliefs? Within Conservatism I see nine orders of business to explain: spiritual, social, economic, political, cultural, law and order, military, foreign affairs and pivotal Issues. Conservatives blend each of these orders into their belief system. I will give my short version of these beliefs here, which will need further clarification and amplification to bring out each of the orders more fully. Within each order we must apply the following conservative factors to the appropriate degree: faith, realism, skepticism, federalism, evolutionism, and capitalism. Here is my listing:

1. Spiritual: We believe in God and have faith in the essence of His word in the Bible as interpreted by Biblical scholars and men of the cloth. We follow its logical and moral precepts as best we can, especially the Golden Rule. We know that man is capable of great good, but we also know that he is capable of great evil. This fact has not changed significantly in thousands of years.

We believe in the infinite value of life, its preservation and its protection. We also believe in the sanctity of traditional marriage. We further believe that the movement to greater secularism in the nation is wrong, and it must be defeated or at least minimized. We believe in the Protestant work ethic and in p***e in our workmanship.

We also believe that men of good character and moral strength, although not believers in God, can be rightly in the fold of Conservatism if they strongly support the tenets below.

2. Social: We believe in self-reliance and individual responsibility and not government handouts at every hint of a “need” or entitlement. Government must not be the provider that everyone looks to in all cases. However, there must also be both government welfare and private charity to care for those who cannot care for themselves, together with disaster relief needs.

Our freedoms and liberties depend upon full protection by the government of our inalienable rights to private property-- land, material and intellectual. Government takings must be minimized.

We believe that our children must have a full and complete American education, devoid of negative bias and cant, and that well-formed curricula must be presented to them in the depth and breadth that they deserve. Further, this direction must be carried forward through higher education as well. We abhor the idea of our children being brainwashed by teachers and professors force-feeding a liberal ideology to our children and young adults. These educator types should be either fired or relegated to non-contact with students.

Our concept of a civil society demands that citizens respect and obey the law and avail themselves of standard procedures for redressing grievances. We believe that good citizenship also demands that we aid the poor and indigent, that we are a good neighbor, that we maintain a civil tongue, that we are persons of integrity and good will, and that we respect the religions of others. Moreover, we expect all citizens to be truly patriotic and to support our Constitution and the institutions that it prescribes.
 

3. Economic: We believe in tempering our mixed economy with greater freedoms as we go forward, since the operation of a free market is proven best for our economy. It is necessary, however, to have some minimal regulation to thwart the ever-present human vices of greed and avarice.

We believe in caring for our environment in a responsible and economic manner, but not in rushing to erect some fantastic approach to mitigate what has been termed G****l W*****g or C*****e C****e. We believe that proper scientific investigations must be completed in a timely manner by objective scientists, and properly peer reviewed, before spending billions of our taxpayer dollars for a chimera. That the current fantasy approach is not accepted science has been demonstrated by over 30,000 scientists, doctors and competent academics around the world signing up for dissent.

We believe in fair and moderate taxation that every citizen must participate in as a percentage of their purchases or consumption, not income. A Flat or Fair Tax is the right approach, replacing all other taxes. The idea of progressive taxation and releasing most citizens from their tax obligations, largely to redistribute wealth, is both undemocratic and toxic to our economy. We must squash the politics of envy.

We believe in fiscal responsibility and balanced budgets, which is not easily done now, but we must begin to regain control of our financial house immediately. We must disabuse Congress and the President of the notion that money collected from the taxpayer is their money to spend as they see fit, such as in earmarks, pork, special entitlements or "stimulus" that are in reality disguised favorite democratic programs.

manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

4. Political: We believe in the precepts of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and believe in an original and plain interpretation of the intent of their words.

We believe that whoever rules least, rules best. Small but effective governance over the essentials for our security is the right way. The 1,177 existing government boards, committees, agencies, foundations, and commissions must be significantly reduced, along with a simplification and synthesis of rules and regulations that have proliferated to a ridiculous extent. It is also apparent that federal government may be forced to grow to some extent in some areas because of the growth of our population, but it should be held to a workable percentage of the population.
This tenet extends to the resurgence of states’ rights as is called for in our Constitution as opposed to ever-increasing federal government dominance. We believe in subsidiarity: that is, placing decisions at the lowest level of governance possible.

We believe that experimentation with new government structures, institutions, and customs must be severely constrained, since such experimentation with what has been successful and traditional for over 230 years may ultimately redound to our detriment due to unforeseen negative consequences for our freedoms. There is a well-proven path for changes to our Constitution; any other path must be stopped---in particular, legislation from the bench.

This tenet applies also to the arena of international government, where we must not allow our sovereignty to be c*********d by the UN or any other organization. Today, too many of the nations of the world are far too hostile and amoral or immoral to permit real democratic worldwide governance. However, it is apparent that we must assume a positive and proactive role in foreign relations in concert with other truly democratic nations.

We believe that any person or group, any religion, or even nation that vows to o*******w our government or to harm our people has cast themselves out from our civil society and the protection of its laws, as well as the protection of accepted international treaties. The nations of Islam are definite candidates for such action. We must therefore do what is necessary against these enemies of the state to ensure our nation from harm. America comes first. There can be peace through strength and resolve.

5. Cultural: We believe that government must be color, race, and origin blind, and must ensure equal opportunity for all, while definitively rejecting the concept of equal outcomes for all as being an anathema to democracy. This extends to e******y of treatment of all citizens and not to special treatment of some minorities.

We believe in assimilation of immigrants, for example, and we believe that English must be the official language of the nation. We also believe that our multicultural society must be urged, even guided, in the direction of a composite, single American Culture over time, and that protected cultural diversity for its own sake is d******e and dangerous tribalism. However, private observance of a culture that breaks no laws is always acceptable.

6. Law and Order: We have a society that is governed by laws and not men. The basis for our laws is derived from the theory of natural law, including natural rights, and natural duties, and the main tenets of natural law have been embedded in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution by our founding fathers. (An outline of natural law, rights and duties is given in the Appendix. A summary of these derivative laws, rights, and duties is given in the book “The 5,000 Year Leap” by W. Cleon Skousen.)

7. Pivotal Issues: This order concerns many of the pivotal issues that have arisen in our society over the past several decades. We have seen the use of polarization in society to further the political objectives of a few, and the use of demonization along the lines of Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals for political dominance. This sort of pestilence must be halted.

To make matters worse, we have witnessed the many lies and false statements of intent of some in politics, principally the President and his close associates, which deliberately fools the public at large as to the real intent of the Administration. It is also apparent that despite the promises of an open and t***sparent administration, this has not been done at all, which leads to hidden malpractices, stonewalling, and lack of the public’s ability to set things right by v****g these people out of office and replacing them with honest and able people.

8. Military Readiness: We believe that the principal duty of government is to provide the security and defense of our nation against all forms of aggression coming from either within or without our sovereign borders. To preserve and protect is the motto. This includes the security of our borders from illegal entry, and the deportation of illegal entrants once found.

To this end, we must have a strong military and a strong internal police force that is given this mission covering land, sea, air and space. We must also recognize the threats we face from fanatics of many types, whether in or out of the country, and be prepared to deal with them effectively wherever necessary, even if it means preemptive action on our part. We believe in the concept of just war.

9. Foreign Affairs: The first consideration is our treaty membership in the United Nations. For all of the good the UN accomplishes, it has too many flaws to become the model, if not the actual organization, for a world centralized government with the powers of law-making, taxation and of wielding its own military force. There are far too many members, almost a majority, that are morally corrupt, intellectually inept or hostile to the US. Thus, we do not need to foster this organization and should not support morally corrupt and biased sects within the UN. We must retain our membership, especially because of the Security Council and other humanity supporting sub-organizations, but we must reject any attempts to promote the UN to true governing status. We must retain our sovereignty at all costs.

manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

A Conservative Action Agenda
As a follow-on to the basic orders, we must propose specific actions to implement our ideas and directions in the nation. This list is a first cut at such an action plan:
a. Regulations: There should be a thorough review of the regulations and Executive Orders instituted by the President with the intent to rework them to promote fiscal and social responsibility, job creation, and a sane environmental policy which we currently do not have!
b. Administrative Agencies: The enormous welter of agencies that have grown up in the last four or five administrations needs to be thoroughly examined for overlaps, redundancies and improvements, or even elimination, not to mention a hard look at the books for fraud and abuse. In this process, the senior levels of management across the board need to be examined for willingness to support Conservative policies, and not liberal and progressive policies, and the unwilling should be either let go or shifted to non-impacting positions, and replaced with willing executives.
c. Energy: Do what is necessary to open oil and gas drilling wherever there are good finds and get the pipeline situation solved. Ensure that the coal industry has what it needs to produce all the coal needed profitably and as cleanly and economically possible. Promote R&D for new energy sources, and make it simple for new starts to get through the regulation maze. Restore nuclear energy to a favorable status, and streamline the approval process, while remaining mindful of safety requirements. Get full control of the EPA to stifle the deluge of regulations being promoted.
d. Government Unions: Outlaw them and phase them out over a few years. Restore government pay scales and benefits to a par with industry over time.
e. Judges: Begin the process of vetting appointees to judgeships across the nation that meet the goals of good legal minds, willingness to interpret the Constitution and not actively work to change it, and that are conservative in outlook.
f. Small Businesses: Take a hard look at the workload imposed on small businesses to meet a host of regulations, and make every effort to reduce the load as far as possible.
g. Healthcare: Start over. Repeal Obamacare. Ensure it is a free market solution with minimal government intervention, possibly based on the existing Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security structures, but streamlined and cleared of fraud and abuse, and put on a sound financial basis! Phase it in over time and allow existing participants to continue as is.
h. Spending: Spending levels must be reduced to lower significantly or clear the current trillion-dollar deficits over the next decade, and to make headway in serious reductions to the national debt. This must involve every government agency and program currently existing or about to come into existence, including all entitlements. This cost review parallels (b) above.
i. Taxes: Serious consideration to some form of Flat Consumption Tax should be given, so long as the current tax programs are halted in turn and avoiding the horror of winding up with both a progressive income tax and a Flat Tax. I believe that Article 16 of the Constitution needs revision. Everyone should pay something in taxes, even if a mere token results in the low pay scales.
j. Defense: This major function of government must be maintained at a war-winning level, perhaps not at the level of being able to fight two major wars simultaneously, but at least one of them, plus fighting a limited conflict somewhere, while continuing to defend the US and its possessions. The war-fighting gear and equipment, aircraft, ships, tanks, missiles, and ordnance must be first-rate and continually modernized to “avoid technological surprise” as the saying goes. From a cost point of view, the gross level of expenditure in constant dollars would probably fall near where it is now, or a tad less.
The objectives of our defense policies are relatively easy to detail, but not easily accepted by everyone with a significant v**e. Pacifism is very much rampant these days, and it is reflected in the moves to downsize the military, in fact, to bring them to a state lower that it was before WWII, which is a disaster! Here is an enumeration of the major objectives for our defense as I see them:
1. Defend the US Mainland and the states and territories beyond the contiguous states.
2. Be able to fight a major war successfully with the standing forces, reserves and arsenal supplies at hand. “We fight with what we have on hand!”
3. Have the capability to reinforce the standing military forces rapidly with personnel, munitions and supplies, including opening up mothballed equipment and production lines as necessary.
4. Maintain combat readiness and basic training capabilities, and be able to extend the training rapidly to handle waves of new recruits if a major war breaks out.
5. Be able, in addition to the forces needed above, to fight a small war of aggression overseas with overwhelming force, that may require several divisions of army, marines, and both air and naval support.
6. Maintain a healthy research and development segment, focusing on inventive new ways of accomplishing our military objectives, with material, many weapon types, tanks, vehicles, warships and combat aircraft.
7. Maintain control of the seas, such that both our military and our commercial vessels can sail the seas with impunity, as well as the vessels of our NATO allies, and MDT signatories.
8. Ensure that our military personnel and their families are fully cared for, both while on active duty, and in case of sickness, injury or casualty.
9. Maintain or seize control of space and protect our space assets from enemy action, including communication, navigation and surveillance satellites.
10. Ensure that we are on top of the cyber war and can effectively counter any enemy actions.
11. Maintain our triad of nuclear weapons and delivery capabilities: our land, sea, and air-based assets.
12. Ensure that our forward deployed forces are well supported and are necessary to be where they are. We have substantial forces in Europe, the UK, S. Korea, Japan, and in Marine Expeditionary Forces (MEF) at sea in troubled areas, just to name the larger deployments.
13. We have mutual defense treaties (MDT) with a number of nations worldwide, for example NATO, and they must be honored.
14. It is imperative that we maintain and perfect our abilities to gather information and turn it into finished intelligence, for intelligence products are the bell-weather of knowledge of threats to the nation before, during and after war. We must rebuild our human intelligence sources worldwide since remote surveillance is not satisfactory in many instances.
15. We must rescind the orders that remove “don’t ask, don’t tell” and that allow women in combat roles in our military.
It is difficult to see that large cuts in our military will be beneficial to the security of the nation and to the security of those nations with whom we have a MDT. In fact, the periodic seesaw between buildup for war and teardown for peace is wasteful, especially if we compromise any of the above defense needs. We will not have the time to build a super military for the next major war.
k. Various Subsidies: All subsidies, such as for agriculture, energy, and the environment, should be reviewed for possible reduction or elimination by law over time.
l. Foreign Policy: There are quite a number of actions that must be taken in the foreign policy and foreign affairs arena.
1. It must be made clear that the US will not accept any incursions into and reductions of the sovereignty of this nation in any form, whether UN-sponsored or otherwise. Second, we should downplay the role of the UN where it affects our goals and directions, since as a v****g block most of the states are anti-American and work to our disinterest with a large sum of our money every year. That money should be reduced substantially. The organization is corrupt and should not be trusted. We should promote a coalition of what we understand as friendly democratic states to adjudicate world conflicts. Let the UN be a forum for sounding off, but as a governing body it is not acceptable.
2. We must retain and improve upon our mutual defense treaties worldwide. We must act honorably regarding our commitments and aid those nations that have thrived under our umbrella defense posture. Should such a treaty be found to be invalid because of political shifts or overt actions that are violations of the treaty, we should withdraw immediately from the treaty.
3. We must support the treaty for non-proliferation of nuclear weapons capabilities worldwide.
4. We must support emerging nations that are just now entering the global economy in a major way and help to stabilize their governments in the direction of republican ideals as best we can.
5. We must support the beneficial uses of space, and not military uses by nations hostile to the US. This is a serious problem that receives little attention in the news cycles.
6. We must act strongly to prevent or to counter the cyber wars that have emerged recently in a major way to disrupt our communications, our command and control capabilities, and our industries.
7. We must support the globalization of economies in ways that benefit both ourselves and the member trade nations that are rational and stable.
8. We must review the worldwide deployments of our military to ensure their valid presence and with sufficient force to accomplish their objectives. This includes our deployments in Europe, the UK, South Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa, and the nearly fifty other small deployments currently in place.
9. We must use all available means to ascertain the existing and emerging threats to our nation and to friendly nations. This is the role of our intelligence organizations and it cannot be decimated by unreasonable and thoughtless cost-cutting measures that liberals desire for a Peace Dividend.
A basic fact is that nations with strong economies can mobilize their armed forces to significant levels and pose a valid threat to us within a few years, just as we have done numerous times. China is a prime suspect, since their force levels are now at, or will soon exceed, the levels needed for defense in their region. Russia is likewise a prime suspect as their resources are sufficient once more to pose a threat within a few years. Iran is suspect because of their nuclear weapon-building program. Pakistan is a nuclear power, and its nuclear arsenal is threatened by insurgents.
Jihadists are a very immediate threat, and the GWOT must be continued. It may be necessary to declare a Global War on Islamof*****ts (GWOI) to clarify the focus on the primary sources of terror facing the US.

manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

10. We must support our trade agreements with many nations, and carefully review the “favored nation status” of some nations. This review should focus on the largest treaty members: the EU, China and Russia.
11. The issue of Anthropic G****l W*****g (AGW) has not been settled scientifically, which leads to our demand to use great caution when confronted with treaties to reduce carbon emissions or other approaches supposedly needed to mitigate the threat from AGW. At this time, we should not support drastic measures that can cost trillions of dollars for an unsubstantiated threat.
There is the obvious fact that the US is the prime consumer of natural resources, and must import most of them, some from nations that are marginally friendly to us. A case in point is Russia which is the prime source for titanium. We use titanium in many ways, including military aircraft that experience high temperatures at Mach one or greater velocities. We thus need to retain our trade relations with such nations, or to find a suitable substitute for critical resources within our own borders, or elsewhere.
13. We must begin as a nation to understand what Islam is all about, and why it is fundamentally opposed to our nation, its Constitution and our religions. Islam is a continuing threat to all infidels, and it will not rest until it has been successful in establishing its hegemony over us, or that it is soundly defeated.
14. We must meet disaster relief obligations worldwide with appropriate aid and other resources.
m. Social Issues: The first issue in this category is a******n. My preference is to ban all a******ns, except in specific cases of triage, where the life of the Mother is at stake. A******n on demand is k*****g, and a clear violation of the Ten Commandments. From conception on, the structural and functional blueprints to create a person are embedded in the fetus, making it a proto-person. Thus a******n is k*****g a proto-person, which is murder. A possible exception can be made if the fetus is materially harmed in the womb.
The second issue is same-sex marriage, which is not necessary, in that all of the privileges of marriage can be had via civil unions or contractual agreements, thus obviating the necessity for expanding the definition of traditional marriage arbitrarily. The gay idea that these new laws will force acceptance of their a******l sexual differences is highly mistaken, especially in the case of Christian Fundamentalists, and Muslims. The basis for this objection is given in four places in the Bible—Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1-26, 27; and Corinthians 6:9, 10.

n. Education: To survive and prosper in the world we live in, we must have citizens that are knowledgeable about many subjects, beginning with detailed knowledge of the United States, its history, its resources, its geography, its organization and civics, key historical figures, and its founding principles and documents. Detailed knowledge of the Constitution and its Amendments is mandatory.
The students should be taught world geography, a condensed version of world history, and a good understanding of what each nation contributes to the world economy.
Our citizens must have competence in mathematics and the sciences, especially physics, chemistry, and biology. Proper understanding of the role of mathematics in the sciences is beneficial as well.
They must be conversant with classic American and world literature and should have a good start towards mastering a foreign language.
In their native tongue, English, they should be able to read and comprehend at a high level, write acceptably well and speak clearly, local vernaculars notwithstanding.
Familiarity with logic and the many logical fallacies should be taught in order to improve their ability to think logically.
Along the same lines, our students should be taught how to think for themselves, research topics of interest, and compose accurate summaries of their understandings.
A track system should be implemented to ensure that gifted students receive the attention they need to progress faster.
Vocational subjects should be implemented to allow students that most likely will not go to college to learn a trade that will make them self-sufficient.
We must inculcate in our students their responsibility of the future of the nation, their sacred duty to v**e responsibly, and their duty to become and remain well-informed on the issues of the day.
o. Islam: We find that Islam is a warrior religion that takes its total guidance from the Koran as the absolute word of God and God’s messenger—Muhammad. Thus, it calls Christians and Jews infidels, and is dedicated to suppression of these religions in favor of Islam, and plans to force infidels to accept Islam, live in a diminished status called dhimmitude, or be k**led. It is quite apparent that the Islamic God is not the Christian God.
Virtually all terrorism has been initiated by Islamic terrorists, and there is no limit to their permission from God via Muhammad to harm infidels by lying, c***ting, or even k*****g infidels. Muslims, therefore, are agents of Islam, and cannot be allowed to penetrate our government. At the very least we should curtail all immigration by Muslims into the US, and to encourage all Muslims to leave the country quickly.
It is obvious, however, that there are apostates to the strict Islamic religion that still call themselves Muslims but renounce the Jihadist and Shariah elements of Islam. These people we can accept on a case by case basis, being mindful that there is no declaration of intent or test that will stand examination for loyalty to the US. Their actions and words over time must speak for their commitment.

p. Science and Engineering: There are over 5,000 cataloged theorems in science, some of the most famous of which are:
--The General Theory of Relativity
--The Special Theory of Relativity
--Quantum Theory
--The Standard Model of Particle Physics
--Newtonian Physics
--The Neo-Darwinian Theory of Evolution (NDT)
--Anthropogenic G****l W*****g Theory (AGW)
--The Anthropic Universe Theory
Some scientists would have it that if we have serious doubts about the latter two theories, we are anti-science. Never mind that we buy into by far the majority of the 5,000 theories in the catalog, if we doubt Darwin or Man-made G****l W*****g, we are not supporting science! This is deliberate and manipulative nonsense.
Not only is it nonsense, in itself that statement of doubt is anti-science, since science is an open quest for the t***h, not ever to be settled, and along with that quest comes reasonable doubts about the existing base of evidence supporting the current theories of science.
Let us examine Neo-Darwin Theory or NDT briefly:
1) There are no intermediate forms for the explosion of species for the Pre-Cambrian period as Darwin’s Theory demands. None!
2) Speciation during the Pre-Cambrian period was almost immediate and left virtually no time at all for gradual macroevolution as Darwin demands.
3) Microevolution requires infinite time to produce the complex molecular structures in animals by random se******n, which is mathematically impossible to achieve in the time period of interest.
Therefore, one can quite properly have reasonable doubts about NDT.
Then let us examine Anthropogenic G****l W*****g briefly:
1) Base data on world temperatures was massaged to fit.
2) Sufficient knowledge of the interaction of the radiation from the sun, clouds, water vapor, other elements such as methane, and cosmic rays is lacking in the formulations and predictive models.
3) Earth’s natural inclination and elliptical rotation cycles around the sun account for most temperature variations.
4) There are unscientific motivations to sell the public on AGW by frightening them in order to gain massive economic and fiscal control over our resources and governments.
Thus, there are valid reasons to doubt that AGW has been properly analyzed and it cannot be settled science.
A moral society plays a central role in promoting science and engineering. Scientific and engineering education and paths for careers must be supported in schools and universities.
Robust theoretical and applied scientific research across all fields is vital to the continued growth and prosperity of the nation, and for the world at large, and must be supported,

Applied science is the source for major engineering and product developments, and is vital to the personal and industrial health of the nation, the exploration of space, and the prosperity of the people.
Engineering and manufacturing resources are likewise a vital element to the nation’s prosperity and must be supported.
The defense of the nation is dependent upon the ability of the industrial sector to be funded to research, design, develop, produce, and equip the armed forces with the best weapons, tanks, vehicles, ships, aircraft, command and control, communications, intelligence, and support capabilities in the world. We must ensure that the nation’s military industrial capabilities are not irrevocably dependent upon foreign sources for their parts or products.
We must also ensure that all vital scientific and engineering research and development areas are supported:

--Alternative and superior energy sources
--Medical research and development
--Environment protection in sensible steps
--Massive desalination and irrigation solutions
--Preservation of water supplies
--Conservation of natural resources and land uses
--Food production and distribution
--Advanced materials
--Theoretical and applied physics
--Micro and nanotechnologies
--Robotics
--Space exploration and exploitation
--Astronomy, Astrophysics, Cosmology and related areas
--Weapons research and development
--Weather research
--Biology
--Chemistry
--Genetics
--Biochemistry
--Major technologies for t***sportation
--Communications
--Information sciences and computers
--Anthropology and related efforts
--Other areas as identified

skyrider

Manning, this is a great post. If the U.S. had a population majority who not only understood this, but also practiced it, or if the U.S. could miraculously generate that kind of population, all problems would be cured.

skyrider

manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

q. Government Lies and Subterfuges: The Obama Administration used many nefarious tactics to gain power and v**es. We have recorded many lies, half-t***hs, and the tactic of stating they favor some legislation, but in fact do not support it and allow it to fail. They demonize those who oppose them, and even those who might later oppose them, just in case! They stonewall issues that are unfavorable and refuse to hand over documentation to the Congress when requested.
As is somewhat usual, they make campaign pledges that they have no intention of meeting, and false promises that they never intend to make good. They always seek the opposing position, or to move the goalposts in their favor, in order to make points with their v**ers, and, perhaps worst of all, they buy v**es through the use of generous benefit programs, green cards, and citizenship to their prospective supporters large and small.
These tactics demean the office they were elected to and demean the nation itself in the eyes of other nations, especially our allies. We need honest and direct people in both the Presidency and the Congress to begin to undo the damage done to the nation by this sleazy, partisan and progressively nuttier crowd.
 

r. Constructive Changes: Far from being change-adverse, conservatives desperately want changes in several areas. It is easily seen that each of these changes are of high impact and complexity and require substantial study and deliberation before executing the changes. Here is the list:

1. Congress---Rules, Terms, Committees, Earmarks, Ethics, Lobbying,
2. Campaign Financing, especially from foreign sources
3. Revise and restrict tort law
4. Fix the health system without destroying market freedom
5. Education System needs to be overhauled and largely removed from the Federal Government, except for block grants to states.
6. Proscribe Government Unions and strengthen right-to-work laws
7. Tax System--total revamp, flat or fair tax.
8. Better and larger military organization and equipment
9. Drill and pump! Energy production (oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, sun, wind, tides, hydrogen)
10. Consider National Service for all high school graduates--two years.
11. Return laws to the original plain Intent of the Constitution insofar as possible.
12. Prevent justices from legislating from the bench. Instead, they must interpret the law and not extend the law: that is the job of the Congress and the President.
13. Reduce the national debt
14. Reduce overall spending
15. Fix Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
16. Departments--Revamp and streamline all government departments, especially State, Labor, Agriculture, Intelligence, Homeland Security, Commerce, Treasury, Health and Welfare, Environment and Interior.
17. Agencies, Boards, Committees, and Commissions--Revamp all 1,177, and force all of them to justify their existence, budget, and manpower.
18. Break the hold of unions, especially government and educational.
19. Rescind Roe vs. Wade, and devolve a******n to State control (it is not a federal issue)
20. Define marriage as being between a man and a woman and bar same-sex marriages.
21. Consider how best to qualify candidates for President and Congress (a quality test?) What must a candidate know before running for office?
 

s. M**************m and Diversity: The ideas of Multicultural Diversity and Political Correctness stem from several liberal beliefs, namely: moral relativity, which says that no ethnic group or nationality is better in any sense than any other; and to voice slurs against an ethnic group or nationality is very poor form and should be suppressed strongly, because no group is better than any other group.
My strong belief is that in America we have created a cultural identity that transcends any former identity, and it is the norm for all citizens, and for all immigrants to emulate and assimilate. While there is nothing wrong with maintaining a private inherited culture, there should not be any impediment to assimilating into the American norm.
Moral Relativity is a false belief since it defies the reality of superior cultures and superior individuals and merges the exceptional with the stupid, the athlete with the couch potato, the independent with the dependent, and the gifted with the ordinary. In real life, such differences matter a great deal!
As for Political Correctness, the root of it is in being polite to all ethnic groups and individuals, which is a fine thing. However, PC can be carried much too far, thus preventing one to call a spade a spade.
Our citizens live in a meritocracy and should recognize that they must make every attempt to both assimilate and progress economically, as the opportunity is there for them to take.

t. Discrimination has its uses. Universal Non-discrimination is Blarney
We use our powers of discrimination daily in a wide range of situations. Let us begin with some simple examples. We use discrimination to tell:
--Good versus bad
--Trustworthy versus untrustworthy
--Smart versus dumb
--Conventional versus radical
--Honest versus dishonest
--Clean versus dirty
--Well-spoken versus poorly-spoken
--A sensible course of action versus an errant course
--Likeable versus unlikable
These simple uses have often been combined to discriminate as a judgment call against individuals, groups, and whole nations at various times in our history. A few examples will show the way here:
--Stalwart citizens versus fanatics
--Friends versus enemies
--Honorable purposes versus dishonorable purposes
--Lawful behaviors versus unlawful behaviors
--Prudent versus imprudent behaviors
--Passive versus aggressive acts
--Judicious versus injudicious acts
--Forgivable versus unforgivable acts
--T***hfulness versus unt***hfulness
Such acts of discrimination are necessary for the preservation of comity, the existence of our way of life, and at times, our personal safety or the safety of our family and friends. Thus discrimination serves a highly useful role in our lives, and it must not be curtailed arbitrarily.
 

There are public acts of discrimination, however, that must be proscribed, such as for race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, and the like. But private uses of discrimination will still be made on a case by case basis, which is the right of free persons and free assemblies of like-minded citizens to exercise their judgment and state their beliefs in clear language.

u. Elitism: We recognize that there are individuals with unusual talent and sk**ls, that there are people with exceptional mind power, and that there are people with significant wealth in the nation. That does not mean that they are destined to govern or to significantly influence government, that they must be treated with undue respect, or that they must be accorded a status of citizenship any higher than any other ordinary citizen. In fact, many of the suggestions and directions supported by the so-called intellectual and public elites have been terribly harmful to the nation. Thus, it is important that such elitists not be given governing powers or major influence over government beyond their just deserts as ordinary citizens.


Conclusion: In order to make these beliefs and actions effective, we must elect legislators that are like-minded conservatives, and a President that is also dedicated to our belief system, beginning in 2022 for legislators and 2024 for a conservative President.
 



Appendix A. Natural Law, an Outline

Natural Law
--inalienable duties
--Habeas corpus
--Limited government
--Separation of powers
--Checks and balances
--Self-preservation
--Right to contract
--Justice by r********n
--No taxation without representation
--Beneficence & Benevolence
--Duties to husband or wife, parents and elders
--Duties to children and posterity
--Good faith and veracity
--Mercy
--Magnanimity
--God’s Word--as given in the Holy Bible. These are the Devine Commands.
Natural Inalienable Rights
--Self-government
--Bear arms for self-defense
--Own, develop and dispose of property
--to make personal choices
--Free conscience
--to choose a profession
--to choose a mate
--to beget one’s kind
--to assemble
--to petition
--Free speech
--Free press
--to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor
--to improve one’s financial condition via barter and trade
--to contrive and invent
--to explore the world
--Privacy
--Personal security
--to provide necessities: air, food, clothing, shelter, and water
--Fair trial
--Free association
--to contract

Natural Duties
--To obey natural and human laws
--To honor the laws of the creator and to obey them
--Not to k**l except in self-defense
--Not to steal or destroy property of others
--To be honest in all t***sactions
--For children to honor and obey their parents
--For parents and elders to protect, teach, feed, clothe, and provide shelter for their children
--To support law and order and to keep the peace
--To reject covetousness
--To aid the helpless, the sick, the crippled, the impaired, the injured, and the poverty-stricken
--To honorably perform contracts and covenants with God and others
--To be temperate
--To become economically self-sufficient
--Not to trespass on property or privacy of another
--To maintain the integrity of the family structure
--To perpetuate the race
--To reject vices
--To perform civic responsibilities
--Not to aid criminals in their activities
--To promote standards of common decency
--To follow the rules of moral rectitude
--To obey civil, positive laws of society

skyrider

Manning, I have revised my bucket list. On top of it is to meet you in person for a discussion which I believe
would be very lengthy indeed.

LogicallyRight Loc: Chicago

A well put together list and I would really have to study it to find fault in it. But my quick read is total support.

Logically Right

manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

You are welcome to visit me, Sky. I cannot travel due to my health. Thank you for reading through my stuff, it has been under review for several years.

manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

I thank you LR. I have now issued just about all of my beliefs and desires here. What's left is simply comments on them and on other's statements!

LogicallyRight Loc: Chicago

A great start. Looking forward to reading your entire listing on this.

Logically Right

skyrider

Manning for President. One of the sharpest minds around.

manning5 Loc: Richmond, VA

Oh dear! It would be a huge honor, for sure...thank you for the thought! At 91? LOL!

skyrider

Light years ahead all of the i***ts in D.C. put together. You're just getting started at 91 !!