Why I'm A Conservative

Posted by DarthDilbert at 12/09/2008 11:41:00 PM

I was honored to not only serve under President Ronald Reagan, but to meet him once in 1988. I believe that he was one of the greatest Presidents we have had because of his work to preserve our nation's founding ideals, but his work in defeating the Soviet Union. Before he was President, he spoke to CPAC on 6 February 1977 after the election of our nation's worst President's and said the following: "When a conservative states that the free market is the best mechanism ever devised by the mind of man to meet material needs, he is merely stating what a careful examination of the real world has told him is the truth.

When a conservative says that totalitarian Communism is an absolute enemy of human freedom he is not theorizing—he is reporting the ugly reality captured so unforgettably in the writings of Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

When a conservative says it is bad for the government to spend more than it takes in, he is simply showing the same common sense that tells him to come in out of the rain.

When a conservative says that busing does not work, he is not appealing to some theory of education—he is merely reporting what he has seen down at the local school.

When a conservative quotes Jefferson that government that is closest to the people is best, it is because he knows that Jefferson risked his life, his fortune and his sacred honor to make certain that what he and his fellow patriots learned from experience was not crushed by an ideology of empire.

Conservatism is the antithesis of the kind of ideological fanaticism that has brought so much horror and destruction to the world. The common sense and common decency of ordinary men and women, working out their own lives in their own way—this is the heart of American conservatism today. Conservative wisdom and principles are derived from willingness to learn, not just from what is going on now, but from what has happened before."

I am a conservative because I believe that the preservation of innocent human lives should be a national priority. I believe in protecting the unborn by prohibiting taxpayer funds for groups that perform abortions. I believe that the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion which the President-Elect is in favor of, be permanently banned. I believe that life begins at conception. Not only shouldn't taxpayer money be used for embryonic stem cell or fetal tissue research but it shouldn't be endorsed either. It is nothing more than the embodiment of blood money. I believe that adoption should be aggressively supported and encouraged. I believe that everyone should do all they can to see that Rove v. Wade is overturned.

I believe that laws referencing so-called hate crimes are not only patently absurd, but purely unconstitutional and duplicate existing law burdening the legal system. It has long been said that justice is blind, but by having special rights given to select groups this undermines this fundamental precept.

I believe that corporate taxes should be slashed from 35% to 25% and the Alternate Minimum Tax be eliminated along with the death tax. I am a strong supporter of the FairTax. I believe that tort reform is long overdue and that class-action lawsuits should be severely restricted along with punitive damage awards from supposed product liability, and that frivolous lawsuits be a thing of the past.

I believe in capital punishment, and that the death penalty be enforced rather it used as a threat. The seemingly endless appeals for those who received the death penalty should be a thing of the past. Cases should not be drawn out for decades while animals such as Manson and others enjoy and relish in their celebrity while the families of their victims fail to see justice done. I believe that those on the left who try to argue that the Sixth Commandment applies to capital punishment, when it doesn't at all. It doesn't say that we should not kill, but that we shouldn't murder. If their point was credible how do you account for the many cases when God called upon the Israelites to take up arms and fight their enemies? I believe that the penalties brought about for pedophiles be strengthened to a tremendous degree. I would give first time offenders ten years in prison. A second time offender would receive twenty-five years, and those stupid enough to do this a third time would warrant the death penalty. These would not be any resort prison as well, I would send them to maximum security and place them in general population as to encourage diversity among them.

I believe that the Department of Education should be eliminated and all functions transferred to state and local government. I believe that homeschooling should be actively encouraged and parents allowed to use funds that are wasted by government schools to actually educate their children. I believe that if a child in government schools chooses to pray that the government has no right to restrict this activity.

I reject the misguided myth of global warming or climate change. I don't believe that any form of government be it federal, state or local should allocate one red cent to this folly, or suggest that any taxes/fees that would go towards this. I believe that we should remove all limitations which prevent the drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR); remove barriers which prevent companies from constructing new oil refineries and nuclear power plants; and eliminate emission controls and CAFE standards which place an unnecessary burden on the already troubled American automobile industry by allowing the market to decide. We unfortunately have seen in recent days and weeks what these restrictions do to General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler.

I support the First Amendment by refusing any attempt to reintroduce the Censorship Fairness Doctrine. I believe that McCain-Feingold is unconstitutional and undermines every American's free speech rights which is why it should be overturned.

I support the Second Amendment. I believe that gun ownership is a fundamental right and obligation of every American. I believe that criminals should be prosecuted, not citizens for gun ownership. I oppose any restrictions on weapons and ammunition. Gun manufacturers should not be liable for crimes committed with their products. If this to be credible, Hostess and Dolly Madison should be dragged into court for breaking scores of scales in Rosie O'Donnell's home.

I believe that waterboarding has been a vital tool against Islamofascists in the War on Terror. I have no qualms about using methods against those who we have captured who have overtly sought to destroy this nation. I define torture as actions that leave permanent physical harm.

I believe that we should increase the salary of those in the military; aggressively continue surveillance of overseas communications; continue to support the Bush Doctrine of preemptive war; eliminate the "Don't ask/Don't tell" policy as it continues to be a detriment to unit cohesion; refuse any attempts by Guantanamo detainees for any legal rights including habeas corpus; discard the ABM treaty; continue to support the PATRIOT Act; refuse any nuclear test ban treaty; commit to keep captured AlQueda terrorists at Guantanamo Bay (GITMO) never allowing them to enter the United States by transferring them to Ft. Leavenworth or any other facility within the United States; and aggressively search for remaining POWs in Vietnam, Korea, and Iraq.

I believe that illegal aliens who are convicted criminals should be immediately deported to their country of origin, and the costs of this be passed onto their country of origin by applying those costs to any foreign aid that country might receive or from our dues to the United Nations.

I believe that those wishing to immigrate to this country should do so legally, and have a working knowledge of English. I believe that English be made the official language of the United States. I believe that the practice of using taxpayer funds to publish the endless river of paperwork in dozens if not hundreds of languages other than English be eliminated immediately. This would of course halt the infuriating request to press One for English. I believe that we should secure the borders first by fully funding and completing the fence on our southern border as well as devote more attention to our northern border which is almost equally as porous and increase funding for the US Border Patrol. I believe that there should be pardon for US Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean.