The Liberal pundits are having fun. Recent news events and the Conservative reaction have given them ample fodder to chew on, and they have. If a space alien landed here today, it'd think a Conservative was an intolerant, bigoted, money-grubbing gay-basher.
And that's just the stuff that's safe to print.
Conservatives often get painted this way because they are reacting to what happened. Often, the name-calling comes when they react negatively, making it easy to paint them as Cassandras.
In short, Conservatives are more often defined by what they are against (or perceived to be against) instead of what they are for. They often don't do a good job of saying what they're for. Maybe it's time to give a quick glimpse into the positions by answering the negatives.
Conservatives are not intolerant. They are labeled that way because they hold strong views on societal and moral issues and voice them. Tolerance is applied against Conservatives to mean blanket acceptance for an opposing viewpoint or lifestyle without question. That's not reality. Tolerance is respecting a person's point of view, but it doesn't mean you can't disagree openly. The First Amendment allows people to comment freely, which Conservatives do, often to knee-jerk ridicule.
Second, Conservatives don't hate the poor. The "tax-cuts-for-the-rich" mantra has been used to paint Conservatives as elitists. Not true. They're pro-business.
Conservatives know that more money in consumer and entrepreneurial hands leads to greater economic development. The engine that drives this country is business, not government. The entrepreneur is America's economic linchpin. When taxes are lower, it gives more people more money to spend. This translates to demand and that, in turn, leads to jobs to meet demands.
The poor are helped by tax cuts because they create job opportunities. Small business is where the majority of job growth occurs, and the Labor Department's Household Survey shows a net growth of more than two million jobs during Bush's tenure. Tax cuts have enabled these businesses to expand, fueling the worker need.
Next, Conservatives are not homophobic. Quite frankly, Conservatives are Libertarian when it comes to bedroom issues. Most will tell you they've had positive experiences with gays. The opposition to gay marriage isn't anti-gay, it's simply pro-family.
Conservatives believe the family is society's building block. Families are the best place to raise children, as they benefit best from having a mother and father present. Numerous studies worldwide show that when families break down, society suffers. Among those contributing factors are illegitimacy, divorce and, more recently, legalized gay marriage in Scandinavia, where marriage is falling apart.
Fourth, Conservatives are not bigoted because they disagree with affirmative action. They're painted as racist, but what's at issue is individual achievement. Conservatives believe that merit is the standard, not skin color. Nobody should have an inherent advantage (or disadvantage) because of his or her hue. People should be judged, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, by "the content of their character" and by what they've accomplished.
Lastly, and most importantly, there's no "vast right-wing conspiracy." If there is, this writer never got the memo.
Of course, as the Reading Rainbow guy says, "Don't take my word for it." Take a Conservative out to lunch and ask questions. He or she may even pick you up in a red Ferrari.
Write to Jeff at mannedarena@yahoo.com
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