"Conservative Values" Defined

Republican or Democrat? Conservative or Liberal? Both? Undeclared? Unsure? Let me ask a few quick questions: do you put your FAMILY FIRST? Do you believe in God, and believe in the United States of America? Do you believe we are “One Nation Under God” and should always be? I do. Too many don’t. What has this country come to when being a traditionalist and having strong core values makes you “un-American,” when that was always considered to be the most American way to live? Take ten minutes and read the following. It defines the terms liberal and conservative, and it just may help show where you stand. If you believe in the aforementioned core ideals, those define an American with cultural and religious conservative values. That’s me. Now define you.

CONSERVATIVE VALUES
Talking politics is very complicated and it tends to be an endless “spinning of the wheels” discussion, which often turns into a mean-spirited debate. The thing is, we really can’t control too much as people no matter where we stand or who we support, except with issues we personally have a handle over—those being issues within our own family and community. We should not seek government regulation or dictatorship on a national scale anyway—that would make us a communist country. We should be most concerned with what pertains to us individually and direct our support towards political candidates that we find share those concerns. With my home state of New Jersey about to elect a new (or re-elect our current) state governor, I feel that it is a good time to express myself with regards to some political ethics and ideals I hold close to my heart. Allow me to preface this document by saying I am not a political expert, but I do think I have a bit more knowledge than many Americans (mostly these extreme Hollywood liberals like Michael Moore and their followers) who are simply out of touch with reality, but claim to know it all. I do consider myself a casual observer and a watcher of Fox News. (Before you Fox-haters jump down my throat with vitriol, let me just say that their reporters and commentators just happen to share a lot of my political opinions). I am not blinded by one Fox analyst’s statements or thoughts, and I do not just automatically take sides on issues without doing the proper research. Nobody is perfect—republicans and democrats alike—and sometimes we are forced to choose a lesser of two evils, or, a candidate that shares more of a voter’s ideology. It’s rare that a candidate is always going to fit into every facet of a voter’s common interests, but I like to think that someone from “the right” usually fits into my basic criteria of what’s important to me. I’ve considered declaring myself an independent or a moderate, but it seems that democratic candidates are now so anti-conservative that I have no choice but to declare myself a republican to counter so many of their platform ideas that I disagree with—even if there are a few things I agree with on their side. Maybe someday, a democrat will fall into the framework that I am about to discuss. But until politics overall vastly change, and no longer become such a bitter battle of the sides, I will remain a republican. At election time, I am a more dedicated researcher, but this past presidential election, I was swayed even more towards the republicans with Barack Obama’s campaign strategies—all of which lacked the core essentials of my value system. Now, I would like to take a few moments here to express what having a conservative value system means to me. This document was not written in an attempt to convert anyone’s beliefs or to put down others who may not agree with what I’m saying. But I feel very strongly about these views and if I offend anyone, I apologize. However, I will not make any excuses, and I first would like to give some brief background as to the way I grew up to possibly offer a bit of reasoning as to why I lean to the right with how I conduct myself in my daily matters—and how that influences my voting choices. I was raised in a small, predominantly white neighborhood in northern New Jersey, mostly consisting of Italian-Americans and other Americans of European ethnicity. As I am 28 years of age, my formative years were the ‘80s and ‘90s. I attended Catholic school and was raised Catholic. I was baptized, went through the sacraments of penance, communion, confirmation and marriage. I will admit, I am not perfect and was also divorced, but the Ten Commandments and The Bible are extremely important to me. I was raised with the influences of my religion, my culture (towards our Italian nationality as well as with extreme patriotism for being American) and with the clear message of always having—and showing—respect. That was by no means a long time ago, but life seems so different in 2009 with such a more complicated array of “options.” Kids are exposed to so much more now, at a much younger age, and it’s critical how we raise them and teach them about things to make sure they make the right choices. It’s crucial we always attempt to steer them in the right direction (as I feel I was in the best way that my family could). That doesn’t mean shielding our youth or pretending times are as innocent as they once were. But it does mean leading them down the right path and keeping them safe. To me, that’s the basics of having a conservative upbringing, and unfortunately in modern politics there seems to be some sort of battle between conservative thinkers and everyone else.

People (especially young people) get blasted these days for being a right-leaning thinker when it comes to matters of modern day society. It seems it was more acceptable in the Reagan years with the “Alex P. Keaton” young Republican movement. Now, if you aren’t a young liberal-minded American (especially with Obama in the White House), you are considered un-American and even prejudiced. Huh? To me, there is nothing more un-American than being berated for having a certain viewpoint that may not be the “trendy” choice. God forbid you say anything good about our former President Bush and you are considered a “war monger” or a “religious fanatic.” But this rant is not about President Obama or President Bush (although I can sit here and point out all the positive things Bush did for us—as well as Bush Sr. and President Reagan before, while also showing how many negatives Clinton brought to this country and how this current administration has already done so much damage to our youth). However, as I said, this is not about me comparing republican vs. democrat policies and accomplishments, this is about comparing liberal and conservative ideals. I identify myself as a “conservative republican,” but that in no way means I am a “rifle-toting pro-capitalist racist” or whatever dirty connotations Michael Moore wants to throw around. While I firmly believe in the “American Dream” and striving to become a successful, wealthy individual, that does not mean I do not support hard-work and doing it the right way. I just don’t believe in hand-outs or enabling the weak. That’s what many of these left-leaning liberal extremists believe. Too many working class Americans support the democratic party because they think that all the democrats are there to “help them” or that they are on their side. That is so false, and it frustrates me to no end. It’s a blatant fact that politicians (whatever party affiliation) all have an income that is about fifty times what you and I have. By the liberal media spinning the minds of hard-working Americans into thinking that they are entitled to assistance from the government, or that “welfare is good,” they are falsely enabling these folks. Government involvement is never good, and that’s what the basis of republicanism is all about—whether that is with money or what type of healthcare you choose, or just general issues in raising your family. I do not believe in empathizing with the weak, I believe in striving to become strong. Because ultimately, that is how you become strong and attain what you want, and reach your goals. To use a sports analogy, I am a New York Yankees fan because they have been—and always will strive to be—the best. Their tradition, class and winning mentality is what makes me such a die-hard fan. I look at the elephants as the Yankees and the donkeys as all the rest. And in baseball, these weaker teams look for “profit sharing” which is basically the same as poor Americans looking for hand-outs. Everyone has the same opportunities and everyone has the same set of rules to play by in the game of baseball, as well as in the game of life. And most importantly, we must always respect the game—in particular the latter which is our lives—and especially our lives in the United States of America. Everyone should be held to a standard of excellence and the only way to achieve that is with determination and strong core values. Within your own family, these values must be engrained into children from day one. Because if they are not, when a crime is committed by the child when he/she gets older—what should be done about it according to the liberals? They say the criminal should be “counseled” for his wrongdoings, not prosecuted. Had the mindset of “here are the ramifications of committing a crime” been properly instilled in the child at a young age, chances are they would not have committed it in the first place. Kids need to understand that such actions result in punishment, not “understanding.” It’s the same with a drug user who becomes enabled with “needle exchange programs” because he or she was never raised properly on the dangers of getting involved in drugs (again, this comes back to the home). When I refer to myself as conservative republican, I say that because I identify with “cultural conservatism” and “religious conservatism.” If you are unfamiliar with these terms, please Google them. But I will give a brief synopsis of what they mean to me and what I feel it means to be a TRUE American…I am extremely patriotic and consider all those in our armed forces nothing short of HEROES. Period. I support them, but that does not make me a “war monger.” Protestors of war think that they are expressing their rights to speak about politics—however the issue of agreeing or disagreeing with a war is the political standpoint, whereas the act of protesting a war is disrespectful to soldiers and directly hurts their morale. When external forces or change occurs, I defer to the way things have always been done. I always adhere to the preservation of what this country was built upon long before I was born. Sometimes to defend that, wars must occur. No one in their right mind wants war, but wars were always around and always will be. Fighting them on a united front must always take place. My main ideal is that I believe in taking preventative measures at all times with respect to general issues in today’s modern society. What I mean by that is, I feel one should do all they can to—IN THE HOME—create a structured living environment that encourages children to adhere themselves to these certain standards and display all possible negative repercussions for acts which may defy those beliefs. To further demonstrate that: For example, by taking a firm definitive stance that, “marriage is between a man and a woman,” there becomes no further possibility of a broader explanation. Does an approval of gay marriage lead to beastiality and marrying animals, or will it someday turn into an acceptance of polygamy or intrafamilial marriages (incest)? Of course, those are extreme thoughts, but up until recent times, the idea of marriage between members of the same sex was an equally unbelievable thought. It’s just like the mentality of legalizing marijuana. When does that turn into the legalization of cocaine? Heroin? Why should we ever “play with fire,” especially now that these times are not as innocent as they were as little as twenty years ago? So what do we do? We must again, adhere to our standards and not cross these lines.

We need to stop empathizing with people who make mistake after mistake, and start properly TEACHING our youth to hopefully not have them make such mistakes as they grow up. It’s just like the question of whether encouraging abstinence or handing out condoms in school is the better approach to teenage sex. Look at it this way: if we teach (not preach) our kids the virtues of abstinence, of course not all will heed the advice, but it is ultimately the most beneficial strategy. Now let’s say you take five kids, four get the message and one simply ignores it and tries unsafe sex. You really have accomplished your goal—even if that one case does result in an unplanned pregnancy. But if you just hand all five kids condoms, the statistics show that at the minimum four will go out and use them (and eventually the odds are two out of those four will eventually then explore the idea of having sex without any protection). So out of the second group, the risks are so much more in favor of more promiscuity, and therefore more unplanned pregnancies, not to mention much more chances of STDs. The idea is not to “expect” that all our children are going to go out and experiment with risky behavior. By using the twisted rationale that you are actually “helping” them cut down their risks while still acknowledging they are trying such risky behaviors—you are essentially giving in to the child as being the one who sets the rules and the standards and not the adults. We as adults should be reinforcing the idea of NOT having sex and by the grace of God, they will grasp that message if it is delivered effectively and the messenger is respected. I respect my elders. I believe in the principles of those elders. I believe in well-established traditions based on my culture and religion. Therefore my views on marriage, abortion, stem-cell research, euthanasia and other such issues defer to those traditions (completely the opposite with the liberal standpoint). Who are we to change the rules or to play God? It comes back to crossing the line and then evolving into chaos. If euthanasia is ok now in cases of terminally ill patients, soon enough it will be ok in patients who are not terminally ill but who are just in pain and no longer want to live. From there one would claim they have the “right to die” if they have any slight discomfort or if they have depression. Is that not suicide? Do we want to rename it something one day and eventually transform it into a socially acceptable thing? Are those that assist in the process going to be called “health advocates” and “pioneers” and not what they truly are—murderers? I just don’t get it. That is so not the principles of what the United States is all about. Neither is an “open border.” I believe in the American Dream and that all races should have the opportunity to succeed in this country. However, I support it being done legally as my family did, and do not believe illegal immigrants automatically should have the same rights and benefits as everyone else. I am not anti-Mexican or anti-immigration. How can I be? My mother was born in Canada and my grandmother was born in Italy. But unlike the illegal immigrants that sneak into this country and contribute nothing to American society, they did things the right way. I am not trying to make 2009 into 1955 or make believe that we live in some perfect, innocent, “Ozzie & Harriet” all-American world. I also am not saying we should all be “Archie Bunker.” But the ironic thing about him as a fictional character is that he was considered to be ignorant by many viewers. However, he was not created to be an ignorant character—he was actually created as a character that shared many ideas of many Americans during the period of when that show aired. The way Archie conveyed those messages was certainly considered to be poorly worded by any political guru’s point of view (but always flawlessly hilarious). Granted that was the purpose, as it was indeed a sitcom, but that character was one of the most influential characters of all time because at the root of many of those messages, there was a lot of truth. With refinement, Archie Bunker could actually be a modern day Bill O’Reilly. Look, to put it simply, I genuinely feel that we all must be held accountable for our actions and we must not be afraid to take a set stance as opposed to always “talking things out.” It is good to be strong-minded. It is good to have beliefs. When you are wishy-washy you are weak. That’s the liberal way. Right, wrong or indifferent, you must take a stance on things. That shows strength and decisiveness. That shows character. That is as American as you can get.

Allow me to expand on a few key points: First off, I want to make it clear that I voted for John McCain in the presidential election. I did not choose to vote for John McCain only because his opponent was a black candidate. Obama happened to be a black candidate whose overall belief system did not agree with mine. And at the end of the campaign, his platform turned all about race when he was proudly declared as “the first black president.” I will admit him being so “pro-black” was one (of many factors) for him not getting my vote—not because I am prejudiced but because that became such a central theme. We have always lived in a society where the overall majority is seen as normal and “the standard” (whether that is correct or not is irrelevant). It is a simple fact that African-Americans are still the minority. But at the end of his campaign, President Obama had more supporters behind him—white and black—based solely on him being black than for any other reason. But I can bet you at the end of his term, more will be done for his people than will be done for mine. Again let me reiterate, I am in no way a racist. General Colin Powell was an African-American that I highly respected and I would have voted for him as a presidential nominee until ultimately he threw his support towards Obama. Why did he? Because even though his political affiliation and overall viewpoints were not shared by Obama, he still chose to back a member of his race. I am not anti-gay, but there is a reason we have never had a gay president because that too, is the minority in this country. Just like we are made up of a mostly Christian country and have never had a Jewish leader, and just as we have never had a female president because we have always been a male-dominated society. But if a qualified candidate emerged who happened to be in those minority groups but shared conservative beliefs (like Sarah Palin for example), and were not running on the basis of being there to only support their own groups—they would get my vote. I’m a humor columnist by nature so forgive me for the pop culture and sports references but these things are relatable to most folks and help to expound upon what many find to be somewhat boring topics. As comedian Chris Rock said in one of his acts: “I’m conservative on some things and I’m liberal on other things. It’s stupid to just say you are one way or the other without hearing the issue.” That is quite an interesting statement, but it does make some sense overall. But when it comes to going to the polls, you do have to make a choice. And whatever side you affiliate yourself with when you head out to those polls should be decided upon by having full knowledge of all of the issues. You should always vote with confidence. I will say though, a lot of politics is pretty humorous. Guys like Rock and Dennis Miller for example, have the whole thing figured out if you ask me, much more than Michael Moore does. They state their opinions but they also see that you can’t take all of it too seriously. As I’m sure you’ve surmised by now, I do indeed take a lot of these issues seriously. It’s sad that young minds are influenced by those with ulterior agendas like Moore and these Hollywood liberals who go around hugging trees, high as kites, spreading ozone propaganda and other nonsense—instead of being home raising their kids properly. They aren’t looking out for the working middle-class American. They aren’t looking out for mothers and fathers and grandparents. They aren’t looking out for you. That’s a vicious cycle that all starts back in the home—where a child’s parents and family members should be emulated. As Glenn Beck recently stated, he didn’t sing songs about the president in kindergarten. Teachers were there to teach young people how to be morally responsible and mold them into strong human beings who contribute to society. He sang “Silent Night, Holy Night.” Yet schools these days want to outlaw that. Why? Let me get this straight: we should not try and shape our youth into positive individuals with lyrics of joy, yet we should attempt to brainwash them into socialists or communists? Bottom line is, we have to display a value system within our family dynamic to help this country remain the best country in the world for generations to come. Be proud to salute the flag. Give thanks to God for putting us here. Keep it “all in the family.” And keep your cultural identity.

Now take some time to digest everything I’ve said here. To repeat, this was not written to convert anyone, but maybe you may now find yourself agreeing with a lot of my ideals. In life, not just in matters of politics, I learned from a young age to create a pro and con list. This is a very effective tool in decision making, because too often we find ourselves in a state of confusion. By creating such a list, we can more efficiently see what to do. In political and social matters, it can help to more clearly define where to stand on a topic. Because as I said, it’s rare that you will find yourself in 100% agreement with every aspect of a political candidate—especially when so many things are factored into who you choose to vote for besides just their political platform—ranging from religion, ethnicity, personality, and yes, even things like age and appearance. And the worst thing you can do is vote based on a popularity contest, or pick a candidate that you are not at least somewhat informed about. So do the pro and con list. That is one piece of advice I would urge one to do with regards to voting. Things may still not be perfectly clear cut—again there’s a lot of aspects to a person—we aren’t voting for robots and the issues are not always black and white. But what’s black and white is that you must choose someone. Take an hour and do just a bit of research. You may actually surprise yourself and find yourself re-declaring your political affiliation.