Yes I admit it, I was a Neo-Conservative for many years. I usually supported most of the GOP platform which included government intervention in the economy through corporate welfare and a blind adherence to an ever growing military presence in the world expanding NATO and increasing the military budget without ever questioning why we designated ourselves as policeman of the world. I also believed wholeheartedly in the federal government’s war on drugs and individual state sovereignty must yield to the federal government in many areas.

I also got caught up in the European view of the political spectrum with the Fascism, National Socialism on the extreme right, Marxism, Communism, and Socialism on the extreme left with Liberal Western Democracy somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.  I respected the founders but in many cases I believed the constitution they carefully crafted fell short. I bought into the lie of a “living Constitution” which could be interpreted outside of original intent of the founders to try to remedy perceived modern day ills.

I have come over the past few years reject wholeheartedly the Neo-Conservative philosophy. I have come to believe this philosophy which has come to infect many conservatives and a huge part of the Republican Party is as alien to American political thought as Progressive movement is. The adoption of this philosophy by the GOP has been so destructive and has made most recent presidential elections the choice between the lessors of two evils.  The frustration of not having a clear choice in political ideals and the Hypocrisy of both major parties has been astounding. The political atmosphere has caused the American people to be apathetic and thus helped Progressives to achieve most of their goals to undermine our republic.

The question everyone must ask is: CAN MEN GOVERN THEMSELVES?  The classical American view of the political spectrum reflects this with on one side the complete absence of government on one extreme side (Anarchy) and on the other extreme all of the “isms” that mankind has endured in the last century (All the Totalitarian forms of government:  Fascism, National Socialism, Marxism, & Communism). Somewhere much closer to the absence of government than to Totalitarianism is the constitutional republic that our founding fathers set up.

The individual states formed the federal Government not the other way around. The constitution was intended to be taken as a formula for the federal government. The states have the primary sovereignty and only granted the federal government only those enumerated powers listed in the constitution. The progressives have indoctrinated the public over the last hundred years in the idea of a “Living Constitution” to be interpreted by the will of congress, Current federal courts (Yes including the Supreme Court) , or even popular sentiment at a particular point in time, if this was the original intent the founders they would have never crafted a constitution. The central government under the constitution is to be “Federal” NOT a “National” government.

I realize that questions of original intent will arise now and again in the courts. The courtsshould rely on the transcripts of the individual states ratifying conventions and the Federalist papers to interpret original intent. The founders provided two methods of changing the constitution the progressives have gone around the constitution by promoting it as a “Living Document” to increase the Federal Governments power that they would never have achieved by the amendment process.

Senator Robert Taft (1889-1953)

The conservative moment should go back to its traditional roots as presented by the late Senator Howard Taft. His believed in individual liberty, Federalism and a non-interventionist foreign policy. He believed in a strong defense but he abhorred American designating itself the world’s policeman. His views on American foreign policy were that of John Quincy Adams who stated:

 “ [America] goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example. She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom.”

 Our ever increasing military intervention over the last few decades are draining our

John Quincy Adams

treasury and over extending our military forces. The most blatant examples were in Bosnia, Libya, Haiti, in which we have had no national interest at all. Even in Afghanistan and Iraq I have come to the conclusion I was wrong by following the neo-con program of nation building which has proven itself to be a utter failure.

The neo-cons in the GOP have supported in some cases big government programs as bad as the progressives have. Cases in point are “No Child Left Behind” and the unsustainable Medicare (Part D) Prescription program.. The Federal government has no Constitutional role in education and its interference is evident as seen in the declining test scores and standards since the Department of Education was established in the 1970’s.

Every GOP president since Herbert Hoover has increased the size and scope of the Federal Government with the possible exception of Ronald Reagan, remember the overreaching EPA was even started by Richard Nixon.

Our founding fathers answered the question: CAN MEN GOVERN THEMSELVES? 

Their answer was a resounding YES! Our founders were children of the enlightenment in which they believed that since all men are endowed with natural rights that are not granted from a monarch or state; neither could rights be granted by them. These rights come directly from the creator and cannot be taken away and the only purpose in government was to insure the protection of these rights. The “Classical” liberal/ constitutional Libertarian philosophy of limited government which recognizes these rights and is what our republic was founded on.

Just my Opinion D.B.

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