"Failure is a God Given Right"

I'm not really a Glenn Beck fan, but during his speech at CPAC, he  made some strong statements about personal freedom and liberty I strongly believe in. In Gleen Beck's CPAC speech, He talked about the right we have to pursue happiness, to pursue success. However, if you find success during the pursuit, you shouldn't be punished for it.


In this country, there is no real thing like "too big to fail." Your success of failure should be of your own making. The men running GM and Chrysler have simply figured out a way to finance their risks with the public dollar.

Our country was built on the idea that the effort of the individual brings its own rewards. No one owes you success. If you want to find success, you have to work for it and earn it yourself.

Understanding the Other Side

This article in the Hot Air Green Room points out some things conservative-thinking people need to keep in mind as they discuss politics with some of their left leaning friends. Of particular note is the descriptive paragraph close to the end of the essay, where the author lists the different types of Liberals and their particular motivation.

Important in all of this is the assumption the conservative "champions both the moral and practical superiority of liberty and individualism." This is opposition to liberals, who support more government "because they need to believe that someone out there knows what they're doing" (emphasis in original) and they want this person to tell them what to do.

Read the whole article.

Controlling the Discussion

As a follow up to Wednesday's discussion about how science is limited by government funding, this video looks at how the Left seeks to silence discussion or opposition to their viewpoints. We call this 'political correctness.'  

When the evidence doesn't support their views, the Left seems to fall back on "Shut up." Anthropogenic global warming in question? Shut up. Obama's bail out program isn't awesome? Shut up. Lower capital gains tax rates will bring in more revenue? Shut up.

Instead of saying shut up, I propose we have a real discussion with real evidence based on real numbers and historical facts. 

The Media is Catching On

No matter that Obama initially inherited a troubled economy. He's had almost three months to lay out his policies for moving forward. However, from all indications, he's really messed up.

Here's a great article that takes a look at the changes he's made and how they impact the economy:

1. Raising the tax rate on hedge funds and private equity funds will do nothing but slow investment in new business (and it's already been having a negative impact).

2. The cap-and trade program for carbon emissions (which don't matter anyways) would put a big handicap on any chance already hard hit manufacturers would have rebuilding their business.

3. Housing prices are definitely not going to go up if you make buying houses harder for anyone. Yet that is what Obama's new cut back on tax deductions for home loan interest for some individuals would do.

So far, all of the President's moves have had a negative effect on the economy. Is that what he's going for?

Definition of Conservatism

As a Libertarian, I have some pretty conservative views. Sometimes these views do not mesh with the behaviors of the Republican party. I am not a party supporter, who blindly votes for one party all the time. Instead, I seek candidates who strive to live by conservative principles.

The best description/definition I've heard of 'conservatism' came from a 13-year-old boy who happened to write a book. He recently gave a speech where he provided a short definition of the principles behind real conservatism.



It's important to note that his definition was simple and easily understood. All real principles are. I agree with his definition. In this video, the principles that he lists as defining conservatism are:

• Respect for the Constitution - This is the founding document of our country. We should acknowledge that it is the basis for our success and seek to understand what the Founding Fathers meant for the various clauses included in the initial document and the Bill of Rights.
  
• Respect for Life -This includes a respect for all other individuals who are fellow citizens with you in this nation.
  
• Less Government - The more government interferes in our daily lives, the less competitive and successful we will be as a Nation. Just review the recent problems with our economic woes, where there was too much interference by government, to see an example.
  
• Personal (and Corporate) Responsibility - This means that ultimately, each entity or corporation is fully responsible for themselves. No corporate bailout for companies that make bad decisions. By the same token, we should not have life-long government welfare for individuals.
  

As he stated, the principles are the key to setting any policy, regardless of the Party of the individual trying to pass a specific policy. If you adhere to these principles, you help protect the people and the people's rights, which is what the Constitution was ultimately about.

Hat Tip - Hot Air