We in America are separated in our basic moral beliefs, conservative MAGA Republicans versus pro-government Liberal Democrats. This unprecedented conflict between our people is consistent with our great moral divide.
Here are my conservative ideas: God, family and country are my order of priorities.
About God our creator: God is the supreme being. God exists. Nature and the world is evidence of God the creator’s existence. God is good. We should obey God’s laws. The U.S. government does not promote a particular church, or even a particular religious belief, but our laws and our values have come to us from our religious heritage, and the belief in God is part of our culture. Our free exercise of religion is protected and guaranteed by our Constitution.
Family: Family is the original and primary social institution in our world. The right to life of every human being is to be protected. Parental rights to raise their children are fundamental and primary.
Country: What is the government’s job? Conservatives believe that government is required to be limited. Government’s job is to protect everyone’s individual freedom and protect people from bad actors. Individual citizens are more important than the government. The government is the servant of the people. All people are equal under the law.
What about welfare? Conservatives believe that it is good for the individual to support himself. Welfare is degrading to the client and destroys incentive and self-esteem. Government should provide welfare only to those who cannot work.
Should government solve all of our problems? No. We are all free Americans, and if our God-given rights are protected in accordance with the Constitution and the law, we will be able to take responsibility for our own lives. This is good. Charity and welfare take care of seriously handicapped people. Our government must get smaller.
What about powerless classes of people, such as LGBTQ people, liberated women, minority races and illegal aliens? Conservatives do not divide people into “helpless” classes. The Constitution and the law protect everybody’s civil rights.
What is or is not reality? Reality is what a person actually observes, not what a person wishes for or hopes for. And reality is not denied if someone simply says “without evidence.” Making a statement does not create “reality.” Conservatives look for actual evidence.
What about using lies and the power of government against political opponents? Conservatives do not condone situational ethics. The law and the Constitution must be respected. The U.S. Justice Department must not be used by the party in power to punish and destroy political opponents.
World leadership: America has led the world toward free democratic government. America has helped the world by leading the world in free enterprise. America has for many years given more foreign aid than any other country, for example the “Marshall Plan” after World War II, and much foreign aid since. America has tried to help defend the world’s countries from communism and other totalitarian dictatorships, and has tried to prevent massive killing of innocent people. America is a force for good in the world.
What about foreign wars? The U.S. should support our allies, but not get involved in conflicts that do not involve U.S. interests. We should not attempt “regime change” wars. For sure, if we choose to fight, we should only fight to win or not at all. History has shown that war is not nice and cannot be “half” war.
What about America’s historical mistakes such as slavery and unfair treatment of women? Although America has made mistakes, we have a form of government and a Constitution that allows us to correct our mistakes when we recognize them. Efforts to rewrite history are not correct.
About illegal immigrants: Immigration laws must be enforced. America is a sovereign country and has the right and duty to control its borders. We cannot solve all the world’s problems, nor can we let in all the people who wish to come here. After we gain control of our borders, we should treat non-criminal undocumented people in our country in a humane and fair way, as our government is partly responsible for allowing them to immigrate here, though illegally.
President Trump is the first President in my lifetime who actually has tried to move our government in a conservative smaller government direction. Some Republicans, who have for many years represented themselves as conservative, claiming to favor smaller government and a balanced budget, have never actually tried to succeed in conservative actions. Some of these Republicans actually worked against President Trump’s efforts to do conservative things and reverse the dive toward left wing European-style socialism. All Republicans and Republican voters must support our candidates or our freedom will be lost.
There must be areas in which liberals and conservatives can come together. Everybody loves their mother and their children and their dog. We all live as neighbors in America and we all want our freedom to continue. I am sure that most Americans want to live in a community that supports the idea of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and a community that makes decisions based on reality.
Mike Kimbrel
Oakville
