Conservative Conversations with Carl
WELCOME !!— this is a new (hopefully weekly) column with a goal of expanding our knowledge concerning the founding of our nation and how the ideas brought forth at that time are still very relevant towards current social and political narratives.
May 3, 2023 Carl Wood, Vice-Chair Grand County Republicans
We all want the same things in life. We want freedom; we want the chance for prosperity; we want as few people suffering as possible; we want healthy children; we want to have crime-free streets. The disagreement is how to achieve these…
Compiled by the Editors. Copyright 2005 (revised 2010) StudentNewsDaily.com.
Liberals believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Liberals believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve problems.
Conservatives believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Conservatives believe the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems.
I discovered the StudentNewsDaily.com website several years ago and used it as my primary source of news, unfortunately it appears to have gone dormant and is no longer updated. However, the definitions above seem to me to be descriptive enough in a broad sense as to assist with our discussion. While no brief definition is entirely adequate for large groups of people these definitions do seem to work well enough to serve as a basis for this inaugural column and future conversations.
Here is a quote from President George Washington. Washington we instrumental in the securing of our nation’s independence and the formation of it’s government. While recognizing that government is a necessity and useful, Washington was also cognizant that like fire, government can get out of control and become a master of the very people that created it. Washington implies that the same government can become a problem for the people regardless of who or which party is in control.
As Washington retired from government service, he had much to say to the nation’s citizens and wrote a “Farewell Address” that captured hia thoughts and warnings for future generations. His address was published widely at that time and was studied by school students for hundreds of years, however it had disappeared from the cirriculum before my school days in the 60’s, so it is likely you are not aware of his warnings either. In the weeks ahead we will review this “Farewell Address” and discuss how and if these thoughts apply today.
