The Negation of Liberty

The soul searching the Republican party is now doing is long over due.

 As Ludwig Von Mises said, “Government is essentially the negation of liberty”.  This is such a simple and profound statement. 

Taken with, “The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government.” ~ Patrick Henry; . . .  you get my mindset.

Sen. Jim DeMint (SC) had an op-ed recently in the WSJ.  In regard to why Republicans fell out of favor, he stated, “The real mistake is that Republicans became more concerned with staying in D.C. than reforming it.”  Ahmen to that.  They left behind any semblance of conservative principals that won them their elections in the first place.

Instead of furthering ‘small government’ based on ‘fiscally conservative’ policies; protecting property rights and thereby individual rights; and promoting personal responsibility, Republicans expended their political capital by passing legislation that gave more power to the Federal government in regard to education, among other programs, as well as increasing the size of social entitlements.  All the while taking the power and right to make decisions out of the citizens hands at the state level and giving the Federal government more and more power to dictate legislation to the states.  This is exactly opposite what they should have done and what the voters expected from them.

The more I ask the question “What do we have to do to get more republicans (especially women and minorities) into the party?” I am starting to realize, the question is wrong.  Conservatives voted for Republicans because the Republican party was the party that previously represented conservatism. 

To a certain degree the people did not leave the party; the party left the people.  In addition to this very basic and obvious reason; the other reason for the dwindling numbers is that it takes an educated electorate to be conservative. 

You actually have to work at being informed on the subjects, the policies and the solutions.  The education system in our country has become more and more liberal to the point that the students that have grown up in this system now go forward and vote based on the liberal teaching they have received over the last 40 years.  They believe that government is the answer, without understanding that the more power you give to the government to protect you, the more you give up your freedom and your liberty.  Eventually, government at the expense of liberty becomes tyranny.

The conservatives are still there and when the Republican party decides to offer true conservative candidates for them to support; I believe they will.  We also have to educate the electorate on the issues and why government is not the answer. 

When you let your zoning ordinance define every possibility you GIVE UP your rights.  Building codes for safety are necessary and a good thing; restrictive zoning to simply stop you from using your property is not.  Cap & Trade will not protect you from global warming; it will cost you more money and Americans to lose jobs to overseas competitors.

No, the Republican party does not need to ‘re-brand’ itself and it has certainly NOT moved too far to the right.  It is exactly the opposite.  The Republican party has moved so far left by trying to be ‘bi-partisan’ that it simply cannot be differentiated from the Democrats.

The people don’t need to move to the party.  The Republican party needs to move back to the people.  Conservatism has not changed, the Republican party has.  When Conservatives have Conservative candidates to support, they will come out in droves.

melody scalley