| The Republican Party is in a crisis right now. It is not | | | | opportunity, creating a product or service, and |
| due to the Democrats taking over control of | | | | figuring out how to market and sell it. This is a rare |
| Congress. It has to do with losing the vision of | | | | ability. Not everybody can do it. Therefore these |
| conservatism. | | | | people are valuable and should be encouraged and |
| If anything, Republicans lost Congress because they | | | | rewarded, not persecuted.j. Profits are not obscene. |
| have lost the vision of political conservatism that | | | | Profits are good. Businesses are supposed to make a |
| Ronald Reagan brought to this country. They have | | | | profit. In fact, they need to make a profit in order to |
| allowed themselves to be cowed by the sheer | | | | survive.k. The earliest settlers on this continent came |
| amount of noise that the left has generated in | | | | for freedom of religion. This should be a cornerstone |
| attacking conservative principles. This wall of noise | | | | of conservatism now. Freedom for any religion that |
| has fooled Republican leadership into thinking that | | | | one chooses. Religion is one of the major civilizing |
| conservatism is not popular in America, that the | | | | influences in our society. And the vast majority of |
| people want liberalism. | | | | Americans oppose the attempted removal of religious |
| In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. A | | | | expressions or symbols from the public square.l. We |
| 2003 Gallup poll showed that 40% of Americans | | | | are a nation of immigrants. But since we did not steal |
| identified themselves as conservative, 40% said they | | | | our prosperity, we do not need to give it away to |
| were moderates, and 20% said they were liberal. A | | | | others as a way of propitiation or apology, especially |
| similar survey from the 60s showed that this | | | | to those who break the law to come here. Living in |
| percentage has not changed in the last 50 years. | | | | the most free and prosperous nation in the world is a |
| So what is the conservative vision? A great place to | | | | privilege, not a right.m. Most of the anti-Americanism |
| find it is in a speech made by Ronald Reagan in 1964, | | | | abroad is due to jealousy of our prosperity. Leaders |
| referred to on the Reagan2020.us site simply as "The | | | | of those countries do not GET that our prosperity is |
| Speech." You can see it here: | | | | due to the level of freedom given to us by the |
| I'll summarize Reagan's conservative vision: | | | | Founding Fathers. Thus, rather than emulating us and |
| 1. America is the greatest country in the world | | | | extending the same freedoms to their citizens, they |
| because it offers the maximum amount of individual | | | | buy into the Marxist and cultural Marxism "victim" |
| freedom. There can be no security anywhere in the | | | | arguments, and conclude that we have victimized |
| free world if there is no economic stability within the | | | | them.n. It is not a crime for people to live on earth |
| United States, the last best hope of man on earth. | | | | and to become prosperous and survive well. The |
| 2. Government is beholden to the people. It derives | | | | earth is not a fragile system that will break if we |
| its power from the people. | | | | utilize its resources.o. The test of a governmental |
| 3. Outside of its legitimate functions, government | | | | theory or program is how well it WORKS, not how |
| does nothing as well or as economically as the private | | | | nice it sounds or how magnanimous it makes the |
| sector. | | | | believer feel. |
| 4. The welfare state and government handouts are | | | | Because of the sheer amount of noise that the liberal |
| the way downward for the United States. | | | | 20% has managed to make, it is easy to think that |
| 5. Progressive taxation, where those with higher | | | | they are in the majority (they are not and never |
| incomes pay virtually all of the taxes, is the creation | | | | have been), and to think that things are hopeless and |
| of those who wish to achieve changes in our social | | | | are going down the tubes. |
| order by redistribution of wealth. | | | | I was recently reading how the doomsayers said that |
| 6. The doctor's fight against socialized medicine is | | | | we would never be able to vanquish fascism |
| your fight. You cannot socialize the doctor without | | | | (Germany, Japan et al). They were wrong. Then they |
| socializing the patient. | | | | said we would never be able to vanquish Soviet |
| 7. People are better able to plan their own lives than | | | | communism. They were wrong. Then they said that |
| a small intellectual elite in a far-distant capital. | | | | American economic supremism in the world was |
| It's amazing to think that Reagan made that speech | | | | coming to an end and Japan and the Pacific rim were |
| in 1964. Its conservative vision shaped his Presidency | | | | going to rule the world. They were wrong. Now the |
| from 1980-88, and is still very relevant to us today. | | | | doomsayers say that Islamofascism is going to take |
| Times have changed somewhat since 1964, though | | | | us down, or some (like the clueless John Edwards) |
| much remains the same. I thought it would be | | | | say we should stop fighting it because it never was a |
| interesting to add some things to the conservative | | | | threat in the first place. |
| vision that Reagan outlined in 1964.a. Three | | | | They were wrong before and they're wrong now. |
| institutions, the family, religion, and the schools, are | | | | Why? Not because of America's military might. Not |
| pillars that elevate society and educate people in the | | | | because we are the most dominating economic |
| principles that create order in society. If you destroy | | | | power. Not because of our dominating culture. Not |
| these institutions, then chaos will eventually ensue in | | | | because of our level of innovation. |
| society. The left is working hard at destroying each | | | | All of those things derive from our level of freedom. |
| of these institutions today.b. When there is | | | | The level of freedom we enjoy is what has |
| unrestrained chaos, it is easier for the socialist to sell | | | | attracted the best and brightest to our shores for |
| his dream of greater government control.c. Although | | | | 230 years. And that freedom allows a person with |
| it is not without its flaws or mistakes, America is still | | | | skill and ingenuity and ambition to drive himself to get |
| the greatest country on earth, specifically because of | | | | ahead and to create innovations and prosperity and |
| its maximum individual freedoms. Its economic | | | | wealth. Other countries are oblivious to the fact that |
| prosperity is directly due to its greater personal | | | | their lack of freedom deprives that person of the |
| freedoms.d. America is not the cause of all the | | | | chance to create the prosperity they so desperately |
| problems in the world. The opposite is true.e. Because | | | | need and want. |
| America is the greatest country in the world, it is | | | | So is America in the twilight of its dreams right now? |
| worth defending. The purpose of the military is to | | | | Is it going down for the count before the threat of |
| defend America and it is not a crime to do so.f. The | | | | Islamifascism or global warming or nuclear rogue |
| Constitution is an historical, not a "living" document. | | | | states? |
| The job of the judiciary is not to create new laws | | | | Not a chance. The indomitable spirit of Americans, |
| but to interpret the Constitution.g. Survival success is | | | | allowed to thrive by its freedoms, will overcome. And |
| caused by hard work, discipline, training, and natural | | | | we WILL defend this country from outside threats |
| ability. The greater survival success of a specific | | | | and it is not a crime to do so. Not because we are |
| group does not mean that it has victimized another | | | | superior and need to assert our superiority. But |
| group that has achieved less success. It means that | | | | because that system, with its great ideas and |
| the group that has succeeded worked harder, had | | | | freedoms and despite its flaws, is worth defending. |
| better discipline, training, and natural ability.h. If you | | | | Because the American system is still the last, best |
| want more of something, subsidize it. If you want | | | | hope of all the countries of earth. |
| less of something, tax it. In other words, incentives | | | | The liberal noise will pass. But ONLY if we embrace |
| work and they matter. If you incentivize a | | | | the conservative vision, know that it leads to better |
| non-survival behavior like not working (as in welfare) | | | | survival for America, know that the majority of |
| you'll get more of that behavior. If you penalize a | | | | people want it (remember how popular Reagan |
| survival behavior like creating a business or making | | | | was?), and fight for the vision and against the liberal |
| money (as in progressive taxation) you'll get less of | | | | noise and lies. |
| it.i. Industrialists and entrepreneurs do not victimize or | | | | I see a new Morning in America. A 21st Century |
| oppress a person by giving him a job, they help him. | | | | Morning in America. But only if we fight for the vision. |
| Jobs do not appear out of thin air. They are created | | | | Spread the vision. Send this article to friends. Talk |
| by industrialists or entrepreneurs seeing a market | | | | about it. That morning will come. |