I Hate Politics by T. Edwin Perry
Just in case you missed it in the title, let me state it again. For the Record, I HATE POLITICS!
Now, those of you who have read my previous posts may be thinking to yourself, “Well, gee, Todd, that doesn’t make ANY sense at all. All you ever DO is talk about politics.” Those of you who may be thinking that are in for a rude awakening. I do not post about POLITICS. My posts are about PHILOSOPHY.
Allow me a little leeway as I explain this position to you. First off, I do not endorse, nor am I endorsed by, any political party. I endorse Conservatism as a philosophy. Yes, there is an “R” on my Voter’s Registration Card, which I cannot currently find, but that is only because, historically, the Republicans have more consistently represented themselves as sharing MY philosophy of Conservatism. If the candidate is Conservative, I don’t care what political party they belong to. If the Democrats were to start espousing Conservative Values, I’d switch in a heartbeat, though I doubt that it’s going to happen any time soon.
The philosophy of Conservatism follows a few simple ideals: Personal Responsibility, Small Government, Low Taxes and Protecting Civil Liberties. Take away any of these characteristics, and you get something less than Freedom. Take away any of these characteristics, and you lose Equality. Take away any one of these points, and you lose Opportunity. Take away any of these things, and you Lose: Period!
Secondly, I believe in Capitalism. I believe that the strength of our Nation is founded in our Free Market Economy. This permits INDIVIDUALS to gain success through their hard work. There’s no guarantee of that success, but there is also no guarantee of failure, but, rather, the potential for either. Without the risk of failure, Success has no meaning or value. Capitalism promotes power in the hands of the Individual, and not the Government.
In opposition to Conservatism are Progressivism and Liberalism. Progressivism endorses compromise at all costs. It implies that the more you are willing to lose, the more you win in the end. Essentially, it is a philosophy of equality by raising some up while cutting others down.
Liberalism, on the other hand, promotes the idea that anyone in the Majority must give a “Hand Up” to those in the minority. The smaller the group, the more help they deserve. Under Liberalism, the assumption is that you can pull the few with less up to the same level of those with the most. Liberals tend to espouse a “Robin Hood” mentality, where they “take from the rich and give to the poor.” From my point of view, what actually happens is that Liberals “Take from the Poor” both their dignity and their possibility to succeed on their own.
In opposition to Capitalism are the philosophies of Socialism and Communism. Socialism is an economic philosophy that promotes an idea where those who are more successful have a responsibility to financially support those who make less. When implemented, Socialism tends to be enforced through the Government taxing the Wealthy and “redistributing” that money to the Less Wealthy. There can still be those who earn more and have more, but in order to achieve that goal, the “Wealthy” must work much harder to maintain that position. Power remains in the hands of the Government, who becomes responsible for the redistribution of wealth.
Communism is an economic philosophy that says that everyone should be Equal, regardless of how hard anyone works. When implemented, Communism tends to be enforced by a Government who tells people what they can do, how much money they can have and where they can live. Success in Communism is predicated on there being a state where all individuals are financially equal, with no potential for increasing their own personal wealth or power. With no potential for success or, dare I say, PROFIT, there is no motivation for innovation or improvement. The philosophy of Communism is fundamentally flawed, because if all of the people are equal, then no one has ANY power. But, NATURE abhors a vacuum; therefore, Communism typically incorporates some characteristics of Socialism, as is evident in countries such as China, Russia, and Cuba. Power is maintained by a Ruling Class, leaving everyone else to suffer equally and ensuring that Power is left untouched by the population.
Now, you may think, after all of this, that I’m going to take a shot at one party or another. You may think that I’m going to make this political, but I’m not. I’m only going to ask you to think of the answer to this question: Which of these philosophies to YOU believe in?
Once you know that, the POLITICS will take care of themselves.
Excellent point. I have had many times where I’ve tried to explain why this stuff means so much to me, while I simultaneously have exactly zero interest in getting involved in politics. And with this post, you’ve explained that in just a few hundred words… Politics is the (usually flawed) implementation of a philosophy….