Conservatism for My Grandchildren

Oliver W. Porter

Description

There are many shades of Conservatism in our society. This book relates the Conservative principles of the author, and is a good guide for anyone interested in the motivation of Conservatives.
Approximately 36 percent of citizens in the United States currently identify as Conservatives. Much larger than those who identify as either Progressives or Independents.
If you are interested in the governance of our nation, you should want to know the principles that underlie each of these philosophies.
Conservatism is based on the Constitution. That document forged over a period of months, is a work of genius that could only have flowed into the founders’ minds as a gift of God. Considering all that has changed in the years since the drafting of the Constitution, it is a miracle that the document with only twenty-five enduring amendments is still a viable and vibrant guide for our nation.
Conservative beliefs in individual freedoms are strongly supported in a number of sections throughout the book.
Other important areas in the book are the portions that support the economic principles that have made the United States strong and prosperous. Conservatives know that Capitalism and the Free Market are the basis for the country’s success, domestically, and in the world market.
Conservatives believe in limited government, and there are sections on the budget, national debt, deficits, re-distribution of wealth, and taxes.
Conservative views on the important issues of the times are explained. These issues include: Foreign policy, national defense, freedom of religion, and information, the rights of states, voting rights, public safety, sanctity of borders, the environment, education and the media. The book concludes with commentary on the current political administration.
The future of America depends upon our values. Conservatives hold to that which has been tried and succeeded.

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Philosophie de la psychologie
• Social
• Government
• Politics
• Economy
• Philosophy
• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 21 février 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798823001243
• Langue: English

Extrait

CONSERVATISM FOR MY GRANDCHILDREN
OLIVER W. PORTER


AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]
 
 
 
 
 
 
© 2023 Oliver W. Porter. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse  02/20/2023
 
ISBN: 979-8-8230-0125-0 (sc)
ISBN: 979-8-8230-0124-3 (e)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Dedication
Prologue
 
I. Constitution
Conservatives support the Constitution
Conservatives believe that individuals should have the maximum freedom possible within the bounds set by of society.
Threats to the Constitution
Conservatives uphold the Rights of States
Conservatives believe in Patriotism
Conservatives are concerned with the loss of America’s Work Ethic
Conservatives believe in an America First Foreign Policy
Conservatives believe in a Strong National Defense
Conservatives believe in Freedom of Religion.
Conservatives believe in Freedom of Information
Conservatives support the American judicial system
Conservatives want non-political Courts
Conservatives believe in Selection on Merit
Government appointments
Merit in Education
Conservatives believe in Public Safety
Homeless problem
Conservatives believe in the right to bear arms for self-defense.
Second Amendment
Conservatives believe in the right to vote
Conservatives believe in the Sanctity of Borders
Environment
Stamp out the myth of man-made climate change
Strategic Petroleum Reserve
Renewable Energy
Climate Reparations
II. Economy
Conservatives believe in Capitalism and the Free Market
The Elements of Capitalism*
Private Property
Profit
Price
Innovation
Division of Labor (Specialization)
Order
Goods and Services
Consumers and Value
Conservatives believe that Socialism is a failed system.
Socialized Medicine
Conservatives believe that Assets should be Earned in the Free
Market
Re-distribution of wealth
Conservatives oppose “progressive” tax rates
Conservatives believe in Fiscal Responsibility
Inflation
III. Government
Conservatives believe in Limited Government
Government Waste
Public/Private Partnerships
Government by the Bureaucracy
Agency Over-reach
Environmental Protection Agency
An extreme example of Agency over-reach is found in the Consumer Finance Protection Board (CFPB)
Department of Transportation
Conservatives are aware that the nation is in financial danger
National Debt
Interest
Conservatives believe in fiscal constraint
Conservatives believe in a balanced budget
The Budgeting Process
Federal Budget
Spending
Mandatory Spending
Social Security
Medicare and Medicaid
Discretionary Spending
Military Spending
The Deficit
The Deficit Increases the National Debt
The Federal Government Finances the Budget Deficit by Selling Paper
Government Interference with the Free Market
Conservatives believe in Strong Basic Education
Conservatives believe in the right of parents to be informed and involved with their children’s education.
The increasing folly in higher education.
Conservatives support families
Generational values
Conservatives recognize the liberal bias of the main-stream media.
Low IQ celebrities
Social Issues
Conservatives hate lies and we are not very fond of Liars
Biden’s Gaffes
 
Conclusion
Appendix A: Constitution of the United States with Amendments
Appendix B: List of federal departments and agencies
Acknowledgements
The following individuals are acknowledged for their contribution in editing, proof-reading, and other contributions to the manuscript.
Pat Porter for proof-reading.
Tad Porter for allowing his portrait of me to appear on the cover.
Dedication
To all who believe in American principals and want to make our country return to greatness.
Prologue
This book was started over 15 years ago. It was abandoned at that time because of my extremely heavy work load in establishing new cities in Georgia. I have always regretted not finishing the book. It would have been of more benefit to my grandchildren in their formulative days, but it still may provide some guidance to them as adults.
The book should also be of benefit to anyone who is:
(1) A youth searching for answers.
(2) An adult that wants to know more about conservatism.
(3) A socialist who is ready to repent.
In addition to the purpose of providing guidance, this book is an effort to set forth my personal beliefs and principles, as a Conservative, in a clear and forthright manner. Every man should do that!
Who am I to try to be the arbiter of Conservative principles?
Well, no one, to enunciate rules for everyone, but the only expert concerning my own conservative principles! I have no advanced degrees in political science or constitutional law, but I have 86 years of experience in forming, and living, by conservative doctrines.
I adopted and applied those values to all of my early life, with enough success to be able to retire comfortably at age 53. For the 33 succeeding years, I have been free to serve others in leading and even founding several charitable organizations on a local, state and national level. Maybe, and of most importance, I have had the time and resources to enjoy my family, friends and myself!
For a happy life, I recommend Conservatism.
It seems that I have been a Conservative since birth, at least since I was old enough to spell Conservative. At first that only meant obeying my parents, then the school rules which morphed into honoring the law.
Personal growth and experience brought me to the conclusion that the Constitution of the United States was the greatest document ever conceived for governance. Nothing has happened to lead me to doubt that conclusion.
So, I am an unabashed Constitutionalist, but there is more to being a Conservative than that.
There are many different kinds of Conservatives. For those who profess Conservatism, it is necessary to dig into their principles to understand where they really stand. Since you are reading this book, it is important to understand what kind of Conservative I am. Basically, my conservative principles are in three major areas: I am a (1) constitutional, (2) economic, and (3) governmental conservative. I am not a conservative on all social issues. This book therefore deals with the principles in the nature of the first three areas and not the last.
The content of the book is broken up into three sections that specifically address topics that are relevant, and amplify, these three pertinent areas of Conservatism.
First it is necessary to provide a definition of Conservatism. To properly understand that philosophy will require comparisons to alternative philosophies, such as communism, socialism, liberal, progressive and “woke” systems.
Definition: Throughout the book the use of various titles will be interchangeably ascribed to individuals, or groups, that are in opposition to conservative principals. These titles are: liberal, progressive, socialist, communist, leftist and woke. To the author, all mean substantially the same. The nexus of all their goals is centralized government.
The dictionary defines conservative as “one who holds to traditional views”.
Not a bad starting point, but in today’s political scene, conservatism is a lot more. To establish traditional views, one must go back to a starting point. For Americans that point is the founding of our country.
America was unique in its beginning and remains so today, even in the face of many who would erode our system and the corresponding success.
Started by the genius of our founding fathers, the United States is a Republic. While a republic has similarities to a democracy, it differs in this respect. A republic is governed by elected representatives who are expected to represent the will of the people, but also, are allowed to exercise their own judgement in carrying out that will. Sometimes the exercise of that responsibility can deviate substantially from the majority desires of the citizens.
I
CONSTITUTION
Conservatives support the Constitution
Our republic form of government, was drafted by our founding fathers in the form of a Constitution. Passed in 1787, the Constitution of the United States (appendix A) is an amazing document. At that time, it was unique in the annals of history. To this day, it remains the bedrock of our nation’s success. One of its unique and important features is that the Constitution provided a method for changing itself. This feature resulted in twenty-seven amendments to date. The 18 th (prohibition) was repealed by the 21 st , so effectively there have been only twenty-five enduring changes in the life of the Constitution – amazing.
The Constitution lives on almost two a