Ryan ChartrandI read the papers and Web sites. I listen to the radio programs and watch the TV commentators. And I am disappointed and shocked at the state of complacently in this nation.
I have in recent years been desensitized to this stupidity, because it kept happening. I was hoping people would wake up and welcome reality, but apparently many of you need a bucket of cold water thrown in your face.
A line must be drawn, and I hope it starts with this column.
I write in response to a growing sentiment that many have that the government must solve all our problems and be our provider. These days we want the government to provide us with free healthcare, free schooling and free homes. If we have a failing business, we want a government bailout. If we have a bad loan, we want loan forgiveness or restructuring. We want the “rich” to do everything for us. We have gotten to a point where we want the government to make all our decisions.
What happened to personal responsibility? What happened to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
When did we become a people willing to give up our liberties and freedoms to our elected officials?
This was once a government of the people, by the people, for the people. Now it has turned into a government that takes from hardworking citizens and caters to lazy, greedy, slothful takers. I am tired of people thinking that they have an inborn entitlement from the government to provide for them at the moment of citizenship or crossing of our borders. America was founded as a land of opportunity, not a land of giving; a land where, if you work hard, you will succeed.
On Tuesday, business senior Everett Lawson wrote a letter to the Mustang Daily explaining why he can’t be a Republican. He wrote, “At the base of liberalism are the views that we should focus on taking care of one another and our planet (.i.e. national health care and sustainable practices), while the conservative base is focused on taking care of ‘yourself’ (low taxes), ‘your own’ (bigotry), and ‘your wallet’ (big business) while ignoring the need and opportunity to enrich other people’s lives and give them the chance to at least live the decent life that we take for granted. And I’m not just talking about here in the United States, but globally. In other words, if you’re not liberal, get with it.”
Mr. Lawson, you are fundamentally wrong in your assumptions of what a conservative is. For one thing, there is a difference between conservative and Republican. While conservatives are frequently Republicans, not all Republicans are conservative. Some conservatives are only socially or fiscally conservative. President Bush, for
example, while socially conservative is only a fiscal moderate at best. Sure, he lowered taxes, but was a drunken sailor when it came to spending.
Mr. Lawson, you say, “taking care of one another and our planet” is at the core of the liberal base. This is patently wrong! For decades liberals have been seeking the subjugation of minorities to maintain a voting base. Welfare, food stamps, rent control, and other forms of government assistance encourage low-income people, commonly minorities in large cities, to take from the government and not further themselves. Liberals commonly support affirmative action, a philosophy that puts race above the content of one’s character.
Conservatives are not the nasty, mean, cruel, callus, heartless, people some make us out to be. We care about personal enrichment and the value of living a good decent life. However, conservatives believe it is the individual not the government who is responsible for furthering one’s life.
Good Ol’ Uncle Sam is not supposed to actually be our uncle, fulfilling our every whim each election cycle. Conservatives care, but feel that the role of government should be limited. When it comes to charity, liberals are just a lot of talk, while those evil “rich” conservatives frequently contribute to charities. Liberals, meanwhile, expect the government to take care of it.
While liberals commonly support national, government-controlled health care, conservatives reject this notion. Not because we don’t believe people should have access, but because conservatives believe in the freedom to choose doctors and health care coverage. For an ideology that preaches the freedom to choose when it comes to abortion, it is ironic that liberals reject the freedom to choose health care. Government is the worst manager of resources, with the exception of the military. I point to the shining example of education. In California, we spend more than $8,500 per K-12 student and increase funding annually as mandated by the state constitution. Yet we as a state rank 47th in the nation.
Conservatives believe in stewardship of the land, not complete disuse and protectionism. Especially when such disuse is commonly tied to global warming, an unproven theory supported by Hollywood and liberal elites to maintain a state of fear and enrich their own pocketbooks with the green industries they’ve invested in.
Conservatives believe in low taxes and business opportunities, not because of greed, but because they believe in personal responsibility. When the government taxes you it is your blood, sweat and tears that makes that payment. The government did nothing other than take from your efforts to provide for yourself.
On the issue of taking care of what Mr. Everett calls “‘your own’ (bigotry)” not only am I perplexed by this association, I am offended. Bigotry has a serious meaning and to throw such words around is reckless. Bigotry is not something exclusive to a single party, ideology, race, creed, or orientation.
As the Obama administration comes into power, consider where this nation is going with each new program and expansion of government control on your life. If we continue to expand and redistribute resources we will continue to enable masses of people who want something from the government. What we need is a government that says no, and a government willing to let businesses fail, rather than bailing them out, a government willing to let people learn from their mistakes when they got into loans they could not afford. We need a government that promotes personal responsibility so we may grow and prosper together as one nation.
Ian Nachreiner is an agricultural science senior and a Mustang Daily Columnist.