Rumors abound of an age in which the public could trust and believe the messages coming forth as news. The rumors depict a dark age of spin when the news was actually filled with fact. Those facts were based on truth not manipulated questions bent towards eliciting a specific type of answer.
Although there is no actual record of such a time, the present information age magnifies the simplicity that must have existed in those fabled times. Our world appears to be filled with fact but anybody with a keyboard can produce words that upon simple observation look to be legitimate and true. As information consumers, we are forced to examine every message we hear for authenticity, truth, spin and reliability. Even the most experienced of us can be misled by a trusted source that has an agenda.
As a conservative in this world, I question almost everything I hear. The source doesn't matter because I believe that anyone with a big enough microphone must have an agenda. I listen to our conservative "pundits" who make me react with nods, shakes of my head and outright exasperation. There are times that their message strikes deep within my core but there is equal time that I hear the same biases that are abundant in the "liberal" media.
I am writing because, as a conservative, I feel as though I am at a personal crossroads. As I approach a new place in my life (parenthood), I am trying to deeply examine what I believe and where that belief originated.
Although I am now flushing out my exact beliefs with a conservative ideology, I do have some general themes that seem to reappear in more exact applications of political issues.
- Each person is born with the ability to overcome strife and obstacles. Although this ability can be diminished by circumstances and personal limitations, I believe it is society's responsibility to help people realize their ability to succeed.
- The Constitution is the guiding document for our nations course through history. Although it cannot address every issue, the issues it does address are not up for debate. The tenets put forth by the founding document should guide our political system.
- National security is a serious issue in today's world but I am unwilling to give up my Constitutional rights in the name of national security. I understand that we need to make concessions and am willing to do so, yet there is a level that infringes upon the rights of every citizen of the United States that is unacceptable.
- Society has a responsibility to the less fortunate members that inhabit it.
Although there are other overlying themes to my beliefs, these will suffice for now.
The Conservative Conundrum
How do we discover solutions to our political and societal issues while still maintaining individual independence? How do we provide governmental services without creating a dependence on the government to cure all that ills each person?
Issues will be tackled. Thoughts may jumble and I retain the right to change my stance on issues. As new facts are presented, I may find my position changing. A person who refuses to examine political issues with an open mind will fail to advance their understanding of situations and will find themselves unable to admit when they are wrong. This does not mean that new information needs to lead to "flip-flopping" but it does require the weighing of evidence as it is provided.
My conservative conundrum comes in defining where my beliefs will take me and how that path coincides or veers from the path of the Republican party.
