Sunday, September 25, 2005

Conservative Values

Just saw this book review. Wow. What responsible parent would actually read this to their child? I guess it's never too early to start giving your child the tools to be politically divisive. After all, we're not just US citizens who hold differing beliefs on the ways and means of improving our country. Some of us are very frightening to small children. Which is ironic in a way, since the things that we ought to be bequeathing in pristine condition to our children: their democracy, their education, their environment, and their safety and security at home and abroad, are the very things the Bush administration has been ignoring, avoiding or outright failing to protect.

Liberals Under My Bed



But when you don't have an answer to any of that stuff, there is always the old fallback of gay marriage and taxes to explain why you are still a conservative, even after the shockingly subpar performance of this administration. Because, let's just be honest here--when it comes down to it, the average conservative truly isn't for small government and limited spending; they are just for a larger, more active, more spendy government on the things they like.

Seriously: the way George Bush is spending money, he is making all of the previous Democratic presidents look like veritable tightwads. But this doesn't seem to upset that many conservatives, since he is spending it on military pursuits and on tax breaks, rather than on (gasp!) "social programs." George Bush has increased the size of the government from Bill Clinton's administration. Our deficit is now beyond the imagination. The levee situation (where the Bush administration cut the funding to repair the levees) in New Orleans is a horrifying example of how much protecting our environmental infrastructure really means to this administration. There is nothing "conservative" about George Bush except for the fact that he says he's religious and he opposes gay marriage. His policies are NOT conservative. They are just short-sighted.

Take New Orleans' levees.
Aren't conservatives concerned with the strength of our economy? A true conservative would have seen the benefit to fixing the levees if for no other reason than to ensure that the unspeakable damage to the region's--and our nation's--economy would be prevented.

Aren't conservatives for good governmental management? A true conservative would not have filled the top homeland security and disaster recovery posts with cronies such as his friend's college roommate having zero relevant experience.

Aren't conservatives concerned with keeping government small? A true conservative would not be racking up an $80 BILLION bill in Iraq (for 2005 alone), a $200 BILLION clean up bill in the Gulf States...and not backing away from tax breaks. At no other time in our nation's history have we been simultaneously engaged in battle and in domestic disaster recovery while having tax BREAKS. It is irresponsible and unsustainable on its face.

But, hey, at least your kids will know that they don't have to like gay people and that no one can make them eat their broccoli. Thank God for The Conservatives.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What do you expect. The last "great" republican in office was Regan. He did the same thing. Spent TONS of money and gave tax breaks to the rich and helped out big business. Thats all the the higher up repub's want. The just use the family values, religion to keep the "base" happy and them in power. And in addition, if they can get the deficiet up really high, then maybe they will finally get the people to accept getting rid of all those stupid social programs. So that people have to pay more to the big businesses then they do now for anything.

Its just a damn shame that (imho) government = short sightedness. Although I do think the republicans are worse at it than the democrats are.

Integrated Systems said...

You know, that book is terrible and I can't quite believe I would say anything in defense of it. However, as I was reacting with outrage, certain memories came uncomfortably back to me. Memories of my young childhood in the early 70s...of my parents...and their friends...having little parties at our house. And dragging out the guitars and singing protests songs until the wee hours.

Yea, in the days before I was even allowed to walk to school by myself, I was thoroughly indocitrinated into the tribe. I could sing Dylan and Pete Seeger and 'For What It's Worth.' (I loved that song when I was 5). I knew who the bad guys were. And if I didn't figure it out from the songs, I certainly would have from the wholehearted condemnation of the ruling party that my elders were dishing out until 1976.

So I don't have a lot of room to criticize. I never stood a chance! My home was a hive of liberalism. And, I should point out, my Dad was a Viet Nam Vet and my mom an ARmy brat...they weren't hippies, they were just observant and responsible people. Granted, they didn't have "Conservatives Under My Bed" in those days -- but they did have the Blue Meanies, and I made the connection.

Anonymous said...

Thanks!! I think Ill return in the near future