The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith, economist (1908-2006)
I came across this quote and it really made me pause and think. I'm a fiscal conservative but I am more liberal with social issues. I'm for gay marriage. I think abortion should be legal and the option ultimately decided by the patient - though I personally don't think I would have one. I'm for a social safety nets like welfare & Medicaid but I agree with the work/school requirements and think the best thing we could invest in is subsidized daycare and early childhood education. But overall, I want the budget balanced and for our government not to be trillions in debt!
I haven't votedfor a Republican since HW Bush. Since Clinton's election, I have become divorced from the Republican party. They have abandoned fiscally conservative policies (except when they are taking money from the poor and disadvantaged). They have focused their attentions on making laws that push everyone in the country to follow what they feel is 'morally' right and I'm not sure why they think it's all right to tell the rest of us how to live our lives - they certainly wouldn't like it if the tables were turned.
I thought it was because I wasn't a conservative anymore but now I think it's because those who say they are conservative, aren't. The above quote describes the base of the Republican party pretty well. I'm not sure it describes "conservatives".
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Comments
Definitions have crossed political borders. For instance, I have considered myself, and voted appropriately so, liberal and Democrat since my first opportunity to vote. I walked the streets of Philly as a kid with my father for Truman and Stevenson.
But in the past five or six years, I believe the party and Liberalism has walked away from me and I can't in any good conscience consider myself liberal or Democrat anymore. I just don't know these people.
Nor can I consider myself Republican.
The definitions morph over the years. I'm finding it much more productive to discuss particular issues and how I feel about them, rather than party or ideological definition.