Those companies cannot produce diddle, coal is still king. What is the name of this coal company, I will invest in them and I bet I make money.
Conservatism us definitely our greatest need. Problem is... few seem to know how it is defined. Conservatism means to most people that we only spend money on what is necessary... okay, again, define that. The military people think it should be spent on them and in fact, having a strong military is a conservative position. Really, we don't believe there's an enormous amount of waste and abuse there? For those of us who are not in favor of government run social programs, how do we define conservatism when we at the same time believe it is inexcusable for a single child in this country to go hungry tonight. How do we balance what is conservative with what is right and decent? No one seems to know or is willing to risk losing the support of this group or that group to put forth a plan that is fiscally responsible, yet compassionate and empathetic. Any takers on a conservative definition of conservatism?
Excellent post. Where is the fine line between conservatism (as defined above) and human decency? Conservatism general is against welfare but at what point would we be against giving government assistance to people? Mentally ill people who have no family? Single mom with no education who's daycare bill would be twice what she made if she had a minimum wage job? I wonder if there are staunch conservatives out there that would say no to any and all welfare programs.
How about people help their neighbors thereby fostering strong community bonds instead of always relying on the government to solve the problem.
I'll have a go at it. I think it is living below our means but like you said "define that". In any business or even household the focus should be on the budget and staying out of the red. In our Nation we have a lot of people who have grown dependant on the Government. They were either brought up thinking foodstamps and social security is something that can be manipulated or maybe they were brought up over-relying on credit. The way your raised has a huge effect on your understanding of what is a shameful lifestyle. A lot of people don't have that shame that prevents them from accepting the Governments handouts. They are totally ignorant and oblivious to where that money comes from, how it affects the US and that it is unacceptable to abuse. So now this generation that is detached from reality has kids of their own and they are raised seeing the same things and most likely continue this lifestyle. I'm not referring to people with legitimate disabilities but rather the people who see a system that hands them $$ to stay home because they have an "anxiety disorder". If we could somehow get away from this habit and create shame on those that are taking advantage and weed out the turds the system would work a little better. BUT heres the problem eventually it would just slowly happen again. In a perfect world we could eliminate the system of Social security and food stamps totally. Not saying there wouldn't be needy people. Just saying friends, family and our Churches would be there for those people. In taking charity from friends, family and your Church there would be a natural shame in wrongfully taking, that it would prevent most abuse. If you look at how the Bible tells us how to function as a person, member of society and Church member: you'd see that all of lifes problems and situations can be resolved on a personal level, WITHOUT GOVERNMENT. Since this nation is moving further and further away from God we are making our own system, that system is the government. What I mean by that is instead of pulling together and helping the homeless, sick, orphans, widows and eachother we mostly let Big Brother take care of it. All because we pay taxes we feel we've done our part. So now the government gets more demand and will have to demand more taxes. The further we get from Biblical principles and rely on the government the ideas of CONSERVATIVISM and GOVERNMENT cannot work together. The Goverment has become a tool to spread the money of the people to all of our needs. Spending money isn't being conservative. Conservation is described as "the careful utilization of a natural resource in order to prevent depletion". Money being that resource in this case. The NEW definition for Government for some is the spending of money on them. If the person expects something from the government it has to cost them less in taxes than the service otherwise whats the point. So one an individual level you already see a deficit! So the two ideas don't work together. It did at one point right? We'll if you look back there was a lot more people with faith and an understanding of the Bible. If you have not read your Bible or even own one and think you can argue about Biblical principles and make any sense, you can't. There is nothing more widely persecuted by people with little to no understanding than Christianity.
There will never be a correct answer to how conservatism is the best direction for America because the true definition lies within the heart. And as long as every one refuses to admit failure in how the system is set up now it will always be used as a dividing tool between the haves and have nots. The Obama administration has perfected the divide by race and conquer mentality, as obvious by polling data thats says better than 95 % of blacks voted for the black candidate. The face of Conservatism has been painted as a balding, chubby, cigar smoking, white man for so long that a change will be as hard as convincing lemmings to stop running off cliffs, nothing I see as happening soon.
Are you referring to the ignorance of professing Christians or that of non-Christians here? Would you agree the biggest reason the Christian view is devalued so much is because of the way professing Christians sometimes behave? Maybe our faith has been rejected because it doesn't seem real and we have become our own worst enemy. What do you think?
Both! Just because you proclaim Christ doesn't mean you are a better person. There is no "maybe" about our faith being rejected. Christ said from the beginning it would go down like that. He also said that a Kingdom cannot be divided against itself so I don't think the people that are hindering the Kingdom are as close to Christ as they claim. This is why I agree with what you said about professing Christians behavior having a negative effect. Obviously our "Worst enemy" would be the Father of Lies. His work is done mostly in the Church body!! The people that aren't of Christ are already his, it's the Christians he is pressing. So when a Christian falls from faith or makes any mistake at all, the world is there to point it out and condemn. They don't condemn because they are above that mistake, they condemn to highlight your failure as a Christian. In an attempt to break down your faith and make themselves feel better.
Lol you love demonizing within parties. Being fiscally conservative doesn't define you to a party. I agree both parties suck, it's just republicans tend to be slightly more conservative so when forced to choose I would side w them over the other (full circle on the whole less of two evils argument)
Of course we do realize that conservatism and Christianity are not the same things right? And, someone can live very conservatively yet possess a very high regard for people without being a Christian. There are many, many frequent posters here with such a view with opinions I deeply respect. One thing is for sure... Christians cannot disregard the individual worth of others and still be taken seriously. Could be that is why so many favor turning the task over to the government. I personally believe that is the wrong move but I do understand why people feel and obviously vote that way.
But does that benefit America or American families? This division is no different than what we see in the middle eastern counties, they hate for no other reason than thats all they have ever been taught, to hate, hence a life style several centuries behind our own.
"Religion to the doltish is true, to the intelligent obviously false, and to the powerful is useful".......................religion is a fairy tale made up by man to control other men. Figure it out.
I understand the need for political correctness but I won't deny what is true. Especially when it is the solution. I know some people will agree and most people will pick apart what I've said or just flat out deny it. The world wants to choke out the people willing to confess Christ. Why would that be? Coincidence? Yeah right! Nothing else is judged to the same degree of political correctness. That all the more proves that there is something to it. John 3:19-21 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. All those who do evil hate the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But those who live by the truth come into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. I think the real reason people turn the task to government is because it's easy. Plain and simple. Denying a moral standard higher than ourselves and replacing it with one we create isn't working. We are uncapable of such a task. Being a Christian means you rely on God as your Father. You don't rely on anything else, including government.
Exactly. A lifestyle just one century behind our own was better. Lol. If they have found a way to preserve their way of life this long with HATE how much better could things be with the Love we learn from the Bible in our own country.
My comment was made in earnest. Republicans have taken conservative to mean religion, as it's their major card. If they'd drop the god aspect (see the Treaty of Tripoli), and focused on fiscal conservatism, I'd be more inclined to vote for them. As it is, unless you are a christian, you're not a republican. Some things to consider: http://front.moveon.org/the-one-reagan-quote-that-republicans-dont-talk-about/#.UJqvKJ_2LFZ.facebook http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50134033n This is definitely a version of conservative that I can get on board with. It's probably a version of liberal that you can agree with, too. Mix these two view points and it could be a recipe for positive things.
