Edward Daley
A dozen reasons why I'm a conservative
By Edward Daley
Let me begin this article by stating that I am not a Republican. I am, however, a conservative. I embrace conservatism because that particular philosophy is distinguished, in part, by the following precepts.
© Edward Daley
Let me begin this article by stating that I am not a Republican. I am, however, a conservative. I embrace conservatism because that particular philosophy is distinguished, in part, by the following precepts.
- Governmental control over our lives should be limited to those few trammels which are absolutely necessary to the survival of an otherwise free nation. In the words of Thomas Paine, "Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one."
- Taxation should only occur when necessary to provide for the common defense, civilian police agencies, firefighting organizations, roadways, railways and other essential aspects of our nation's infrastructure. If we are to have income taxes, everyone but the destitute should pay a proportional amount of those taxes (the same percentage of taxes regardless of their income), and those who pay no income taxes should be thankful to those who do.
- Our nation was founded upon the principle of God-given rights, regardless of the conflicting opinion of a small minority of American citizens who do not believe in the concept of a higher power. After all, not every American believes in the viability of the capitalist system either, but our system is still based upon capitalism no matter what some people choose to believe.
- The preservation of innocent human lives is of paramount importance to all moral people, and those who wish to gratuitously destroy a fetus in the womb have an obligation to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that an unborn child is not a human life, worthy of the same legal protections that all other individuals enjoy, before committing abortion.
- Free market principles should be applied to public education, health care and a host of other systems, which have of late been thrust into the socialistic downward spiral of governmental intervention and over-regulation.
- We, the people, have an expectation of public accountability and private responsibility. With every individual right claimed, there is an equally important responsibility attached to it, and for every ounce of power claimed by some people over everyone else, there should be a pound of accountability awaiting those claimants at the end of the day.
- People who wish to immigrate to our country need to do so legally. They should be willing to learn our language, respect our culture and obey our laws once they're here. Those who refuse to do so should be deported immediately.
- Our federal government should have autonomy in determining what is in the best interest of our country internationally, as opposed to relying on organizations such as the United Nations to make our decisions for us.
- You can't bargain with bullies, tyrants or terrorists, and to even try is not only naive but potentially suicidal. Sometimes violence is the only means by which one can defend one's liberties. Those who refuse to resort to violent acts under any circumstances are destined for slavery.
- Affirmative action is racism, no different than those forms of racism practiced by the Nazis of W.W.II Germany or former President Charles Taylor's regime in modern-day Liberia.
- People are not basically good, nor are they basically bad. They're both, that's why a moral code is necessary to the sustainability of a free society.
- All human beings crave liberty and felicity, and to deny even one person who chooses to live a virtuous life the opportunity to pursue happiness and experience individual freedom, is a crime against humanity.
© Edward Daley
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