What’s a Conservative?
‘Conservative’ political views are wide and diverse, but at their core, they hold some common fundamental truths and values:
Individual liberty and freedom is paramount. We the People place an extremely high value on individual liberty. Short of doing direct harm to their fellow citizens, individuals should be left free to live their lives as they wish.
“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniencies attending too much liberty than those attending too small a degree of it.” - Thomas Jefferson
We have a fundamental, God given right to life, liberty and property. No government has the right to take life, freedom, or legally acquired property, unless individuals voluntarily give up those rights or lose them through due process upon conviction of serious crimes.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” - The Declaration of Independence
The People rule Washington; not the other way around. As is clearly stated in our founding documents, the authority to govern comes from God directly to the people who loan that power to elected representatives. That authority is not permanently transferred, and can be rescinded when any authority, elected or otherwise, becomes destructive to the above mentioned ends.
“Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” - Thomas Paine; “Even after all the horrors of the past century, people still believe implicitly in the state; whereas, if they learned from experience, they would all talk about states in general the way Jews talk about Hitler.” - Joseph Sobran
For a people to remain free, government must be limited. Straight democratic rule is nothing more than mob rule, where minority groups of all types are subject to the whims of the majority. As such, We the People believe in the model of a republic or limited representative democracy as outlined in the Constitution, where state, local and individual rights are protected from the brute force of government and the majority.
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.” - C.S. Lewis; “It is the theory of all modern civilized governments that they protect and foster the liberty of the citizen; it is the practice of all of them to limit its exercise, and sometimes very narrowly.” - H.L. Mencken
Our Constitution is a miraculous document that should be revered, not taken lightly. The Constitution is not a living document open to the whims of whomever is in office. Its primary purpose is to protect state and individual liberty from an over-reaching government.
“A sacred respect for the Constitutional law is the vital principle, the sustaining energy of a free government.” - Alexander Hamilton
Free markets, with sufficient competition, always provide better, more efficient and less costly goods and services than government monopolies. Never has statistical data been more unequivocal than with this statement. Wherever possible, commerce should remain in private hands where it is conducted most efficiently. A nation filled with opportunity is far better than a nation of guaranteed mediocrity.
“If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretence of taking care of them, they must become happy.” - Thomas Jefferson
A just and peaceful society requires moral restraint among its people. Our Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. While no government should give preferential treatment to any brand of religion, policies should also not be hostile to religious participation or belief. We are a nation of laws based on moral absolutes found in basic Judeo-Christian values. A society that drifts away from moral absolutes and societal pressure to be a moral people, requires more and more authoritarian control, destroying individual freedom and hampering economic activities.
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” - John Adams; “Among a people generally corrupt liberty cannot long exist.” - Edmund Burke; “The Constitution was never meant to prevent people from praying; its declared purpose was to protect their freedom to pray.” - Ronald Reagan
We the People value life and hold it sacred. While exactly when life begins may be a matter of philosophical debate, We the People prefer to err on the side of caution. All life, regardless of their perceived value to society, deserves protection.
We are governed by laws, not by men. When government power is limited, and laws are clear, everyone plays by the same set of rules. Justice should be blind, and politics have no place in the courtroom. The court’s ultimate responsibility is to apply the law equally and fairly, and to protect the people from an overzealous government by enforcing the limits on government found in the Constitution.
“…government is really nothing but a group of men, and usually they are very inferior men.” - H. L. Mencken
States’ rights must be protected. The closer power and authority lie to the people, the better. The more local the official, the better they will know their constituencies’ issues, and the easier it will be to hold them accountable. The further power drifts from the people, the more likely abuse will take place. What right do the people of one state have to govern over another?
“The Truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted.” - James Madison; “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” - 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The simpler the laws, the better. Overly complex legal code stifles business, discourages investment, hampers freedom, and invites politically driven selective enforcement. All of society is better off when laws are kept simple.
“Laws are made for men of ordinary understanding and should, therefore, be construed by the ordinary rules of common sense.” - Thomas Jefferson
Economies are dynamic, not static. When an economy functions more efficiently, when goods and services are provided more effectively, everyone in that society is better off, in a sense, wealthier. One individual’s prosperity does not automatically come at the expense of another. While resources are limited, wealth is not.
“By virtue of exchange, one man’s prosperity is beneficial to all others.” - Frederic Bastiat
Failure is essential to a healthy economy. While failure is often painful, it is rarely fatal. Failing companies must be allowed to fail so resources and workers can be put to use where the market has determined they are more needed. Propping up failing companies only delays the inevitable, punishes success, discourages competition, and encourages the bad behavior and poor decisions which lead to the failure in the first place.
Taxes should be simple, flat and fair, not a venue for social engineering. The current system of taxation whereby the federal government picks and chooses winners and losers is an outrage. The use of the tax code to encourage some behavior and to discourage other behavior is another avenue for limiting individual freedom and controlling peoples’ lives. It is none of a government’s business where individuals choose to spend their hard earned dollars.
“Would it not be better to simplify the system of taxation rather than to spread it over such a variety of subjects and pass through so many new hands.” - Thomas Jefferson
Good intentions are meaningless. Results are what matter. While any given policy may have good intentions, every step taken to fix a perceived problem has unintended consequences. We judge policy not on good intentions, but on the real concrete results.
“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” - Henry David Thoreau
Lower taxes spur economic growth and keep more dollars flowing in more efficient free markets. Lower taxes often result in economic growth that actually increases tax revenues. Tax hikes designed to raise revenue often stifle markets enough to mitigate higher revenues or even decrease them.
“Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state wants to live at the expense of everyone.” -Frederic Bastiat; “If duties are too high, they lessen the consumption; the collection is eluded; and the product to the treasury is not so great as when they are confined within proper and moderate bounds.” - Alexander Hamilton
Government charity is not efficient, nor is it charitable. It’s wrong to take hard-earned dollars from a person to whom it belongs in order to give it to someone to whom it does not belong. The moment people get the idea it does no good to work because somebody else is going to take what they work for, economies come to an end.
“To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.” - Thomas Jefferson
We the People believe in a true abolition of racism and total equality regardless of race, creed or nation of origin. Paraphrasing Dr. King, one should be judged on the content of one’s character, not the color of one’s skin. But race, behavior or lot in life should never be used to confer upon someone special rights and privileges. We are not Asian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and African-Americans; we are all simply Americans.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. . .” The Declaration of Independence
We the People demand secure borders, yet value legal immigration. We the People welcome and celebrate legal immigrants. But we live in a dangerous world and we can no more leave our borders open than individuals can leave their front doors open in the dark of night. Doing so only invites trouble. We must have secure borders and know who and what is entering and leaving our country. Illegal immigration is by definition illegal, and immigration laws must be enforced.
“The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges, if by decency and propriety of conduct they appear to merit the enjoyment.” - George Washington
We the People understand peace comes through strength. We detest violence and war, and must do everything we can to avoid it. Unfortunately, evil exists and ours is a world that is governed by the aggressive use of force, with few exceptions. The surest way to ensure lasting peace for our people is to be well prepared to defend ourselves from outside aggression. A strong military is essential to our freedom.
“Whatever enables us to go to war, secures our peace.” - Thomas Jefferson
Individuals have a right to protect themselves. The individual’s God given right to self defense and our right to bear arms are fundamental to a free society.
“…the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” - Article II, The Bill Of Rights; “I ask sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.” - George Mason
Want to Learn More?
Online Resources
www.heritage.org
www.aei.org
www.townhall.com
www.americanthinker.com
www.nationalcenter.org
www.cato.org
Books
“The 5,000 Year Leap” by W. Cleon Skousen
“Basic Economics” by Thomas Sowell
“What’s so Great About America” by Dinesh D’Souza
“The Forgotten Man” by Amity Shlaes
“Give Me a Break” by John Stossel
“Liberty and Tyranny” by Mark R Levin
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