Quote:1. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
2. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong
3. You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
4. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
5. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
6. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
7. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
8. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
9. You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
10 You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.
The statements were meaningless BS the first time you posted them and still are.
The statements are vague bromides. They have no real meaning.
1. Does this mean that conservatives are wrong when they urge people to shop more? The consumer is the driving force of the US economy. Encourage them to stop shopping and we get a recession. Yes, thrift is important but thrift at the expense of everything else is no good either.
2. Complete nonsense. In some instances you can strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. It depends on how you do it. Let's look at a simple chemistry problem as an example. If you have a 100% acid solution and a 2% solution you can make the weak stronger by simply pouring the two together. If you merely subtract from the 100% without adding to the 2% then it doesn't work. You can sometimes strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
3. No one is proposing "destroying" the rich. Destruction has a meaning that you seem to want to ignore Fox. If the rich person has only 3 billion instead of 4 billion were they "destroyed"?
4. Vague beyond extreme. "class hatred" is what? Taxation of the wealthy isn't class hatred, it is sound fiscal policy. Only a fool would call it class hatred.
5. This is true but the statement is vague in how you take away their initiative. Make someone poor, don't give them a job or an opportunity to get one and what have you done with their initiative?
6. I guess that means that no one will be helped by sending Madoff to jail so we shouldn't do it.
7. Meaningless statement because it is so vague. How is the wage payer pulled down by paying a living wage? Any good businessman knows the key to profit is employees.
8. False statement. Future earnings and wealth are not factored into the statement. Income has meaning. Wealth has meaning. If I have $10 million, a mortgage, and no income because my investments all lost money in 2008, I can easily pay my mortgage and stay out of trouble without an income.
10. Perhaps not, but you can help the children.
So.. you are only attempting to tear down one strong concept to make others stronger?
No, it means that saving for a rainy day and getting value for money spent are virtues.
You added an unrelated strawman to that concept. The recession was not caused from lack of shopping. The recession was caused by inability to obtain credit due to collapse of the housing market and financial system. Had a principle of thrift been in force, neither would have likely occured.
I rather think that the concept had nothing to do with chemical reactions. Care to try again on this one?
The point is that on average making the rich poorer by any percentage will not on average improve the fortunes of the unrich.
All you have to do is prowl around A2K for a bit to discover how much some blame the rich for the plight of the poor and understand the point being made.
A house with a 'conservative[ mortgage is not bought with 'borrowed money' but rather is financed.
There is another paradigm that I think is a component of modern American conservativsm. Conservatives can focus on a statement and deal with it on its own merits or lack thereof. They don't have to rewrite it or build a straw man in order to be able to discuss it. They don't have to attack somebody or hold others in contempt or blame somebody in order to express a principle. They understand the concept of universal truth while allowing for the inevitable exception or anomaly.
9. You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
A house with a 'conservative[ mortgage is not bought with 'borrowed money' but rather is financed. It is an investment in which the capital equals or exceeds the amount borrowed. The lender risks only the interest it hopes to earn but not the principle of the loan as the value of the asset equals or exceeds the amount owed. Likewise smart venture capital is invested in somebody with a solid business plan in a market with excellent prospects and a proven track record so that a return on the investment is probable. Conservatives know the difference between borrowing and investment.
1 a: to receive with the implied or expressed intention of returning the same or an equivalent <borrow a book> <borrowed a dollar> b: to borrow (money) with the intention of returning the same plus interest
http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/
http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=CONSERVATIVE&x=28&y=7
Main Entry: 1con·serv·a·tive
...
1 : having the power or tendency to preserve in a safe and entire state : PRESERVATIVE <the conservative powers of the Egyptian climate have given us priceless relics in near-perfect condition> <conservative of all good things>; specifically : designed to preserve parts or restore function <conservative surgery> -- compare RADICAL
2 a : of or relating to a political party, point of view, or philosophy that advocates preservation of the established order and views proposals for change critically and usually with distrust <conservative elements opposed to ... further steps toward socialization or nationalization -- Collier's Year Book> b : of, relating to, or constituting a political party professing the principles of conservatism : as (1) usually capitalized : of or constituting one of the two major parties in the United Kingdom evolving from the 18th century Tories and in modern times associated with policies advocating support of established institutions, a close relationship with the Commonwealth and Empire, and a positive although limited role by the government in social and economic affairs <the parliamentary Conservative party is preeminently recruited from the upper and upper-middle classes -- J.F.S.Ross> <a handsome Conservative majority ... emerged from the general election -- J.A.Hawgood> -- compare LABOR, LIBERAL, TORY, UNIONIST, WHIG (2) usually capitalized : Progressive Conservative
3 a : tending or disposed to maintain existing views, habits, conditions, or institutions : opposed to radical or basic changes : exhibiting minimal change : TRADITIONAL <conservative policies> <a conservative administration> <a conservative genus> b : not in excess <conservative action> : CAUTIOUS <a conservative point of view> <a conservative utterance> : MODERATE <a conservative estimate of 200> : unwilling to overreach : involving little or fearful of risk <a conservative banker> <conservative investments> c : tending to avoid dissonance, showiness, or effects that would attract undue or immediate attention : cleaving to traditional norms of taste, elegance, or manners <a conservative suit> <a rich but conservative architectural style>
4 : of or relating to Conservative Judaism
synonyms REACTIONARY, DIE-HARD, TORY: conservative suggests desire to retain and maintain existing institutions, procedures, and ways and to resist and suspect proposals for change <although he was naturally conservative and did not disturb the predominance of Latin and Greek, he somewhat modified the curriculum -- C.M.Fuess> REACTIONARY applies to wishes to return to an older outworn order or to influences making for such a return; unlike CONSERVATIVE, it is almost always derogatory <both the Reformation and the Counter Reformation were reactionary; though they brought the Middle Ages to an end, they themselves were medieval in spirit and method -- W.R.Inge> DIE-HARD implies a stubborn, truculent retention of older procedures and resistance to new <some die-hard individual may insist on driving a horse and buggy after all the rest of his society have automobiles -- Ralph Linton> <while the Progressive Conservative platform reflected the party's die-hard conservatism on most issues, it came out, in striking contrast to previous policies, for the principle of expanding international trade -- Collier's Year Book> TORY may suggest a sometimes reactionary allegiance to long-established principles and social customs <to a slow-moving and Tory society they were radical changes shocking to men's minds -- C.W.de Kiewiet>
http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=LIBERAL&x=24&y=11
Main Entry: 1lib·er·al
...
1 a : of, belonging to, being, or consisting of liberal arts or one of the liberal arts <the studies are liberal, not in one of the technical fields> b archaic : of, belonging to, or befitting a man of free birth; also : of, belonging to, or befitting one that is a gentleman in social rank c : of, belonging to, or befitting a free man <the liberal occupations of the gentry of ancient Rome>
2 a : marked by generosity, bounteousness, openhandedness : not stinting <a liberal giver> <a man of liberal nature> b : bestowed in a generous and openhanded way : ABUNDANT, BOUNTIFUL, AMPLE <a liberal donation> <a liberal quantity> <receiving liberal rewards for the risks they took -- American Guide Series: New Hampshire> c : LARGE, FULL <possessed a liberal lip> <a liberal bosom>
3 a : free from restraint or check : unchecked by a sense of the decorous, the fitting, or the polite <possessed a liberal tongue that was always offending people> b obsolete : lacking significant moral restraints : LICENTIOUS
4 a : not strict or rigorous <a liberal attitude toward one's children> b : not confined or restricted to the exact or literal <a liberal translation of the Greek text>
5 a : not narrow in mind : BROAD-MINDED, OPEN-MINDED b : not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional or established forms in action, attitude, or opinion <a man of liberal views who would not mind making significant changes in the social or economic structure if he felt it was for the best> <liberal in his interpretation of his duties as a governor> <theologians, even the most liberal, will rally to the defense of theology -- A.L.Guérard> c [French libéral, from Middle French liberal] : of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism <the liberal theory of progress -- M.Q.Sibley> <the issue of liberal constitutionalism -- G.H.Sabine> <the liberal emphasis upon the inalienable rights of the individual -- J.H.Hallowell> <the Prussian monarchy was not liberal, but it was progressive and enterprising -- Stringfellow Barr> -- compare CONSERVATIVE, RADICAL 3a d usually capitalized : of, belonging to, or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism : as (1) : of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom evolving from the Whigs and associated during the period of its status as one of the two major British parties of the 19th and early 20th centuries with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives <the English Liberal party was rent asunder by the explosives of modern nationalism -- C.J.Friedrich> <Liberal representation in Parliament has been reduced to a tiny handful -- Henry Slesser> -- compare CATHOLIC, CONSERVATIVE, LABOR, RADICAL 3c(1), TORY, UNIONIST, WHIG (2) : of or constituting a major political party in another member nation of the British Commonwealth <the Province of Quebec ... is the stronghold of the Liberal party -- C.E.Silcox> <launched the Liberal government's policy in Australia's federal election campaign -- A.E.Norman> <Liberal opposition to Labor proposals in the New Zealand parliament> (3) : of or constituting a minor political party active chiefly in New York and associated with social reform and support of policies favorable to organized labor <the anticommunist stand taken by the founders of the Liberal party>
synonyms PROGRESSIVE, ADVANCED, RADICAL agree in application to a person or thing freed from or opposed to what is established or orthodox. LIBERAL, the most general term, suggests an emancipation from convention, tradition, or dogma that extends from a belief in altering institutions to fit altering conditions to a preference for lawlessness; on the one hand it suggests a commendable pragmatism, tolerance, and broad-mindedness and on the other a highly questionable unorthodoxy, experimentalism, or positive irresponsibility <a liberal Episcopalian, preferred a non-Gothic auditorium in which the congregation could hear well, rather than merely view distant ritual -- Robert Berkelman> <the prevailing liberal movement of the time was Benthamite in its emphasis on legal and social reform, and denounced tradition as the chief obstacle to progress -- Michael Polanyi> <don't let us be hampered by routine and red tape and precedent, let's ... put a liberal interpretation on our duties -- W.S.Gilbert> <if liberal, in respect to language, means "tolerant of change", this book is liberal. If it means "not strict", the book is not liberal, or at least not intentionally so -- J.B.McMillan> <the strict school of rabbis allowed divorce only on the ground of adultery; the liberal school, on almost any ground -- J.C.Swaim> PROGRESSIVE implies an opposition to the reactionary or backward, a willingness to forsake past methods or beliefs in the interests of improvement or amelioration <one progressive publisher is now experimenting with plastic bindings -- Third Degree> <the party direction must be moderate and yet progressive and dynamic -- New York Times> <the struggle ... between the conservative and the progressive mind -- G.G.Coulton> <to progressive leadership -- a leadership which has sought ... to advance the lot of the average American citizen -- F.D.Roosevelt> <much progressive economic and social legislation designed to benefit the masses and to break the power of the privileged -- A.C.Gordon> ADVANCED usually applies to something high in a scale of development or ahead of its time often suggesting mental daring. It can favorably suggest the extremely liberal or progressive or unfavorably suggest something new and experimental to the point of foolishness or bizarreness <the economic interests of the advanced and backward peoples -- J.A.Hobson> <the most advanced nuclear weapons -- V.M.Barnett> <the continuing notion among many advanced writers that only difficult writing is good writing -- F.L.Allen> <to her own generation she seemed advanced in realism and in daring -- F.L.Pattee> RADICAL usually suggests extremeness to the point of a sharp break with the already established and especially in its political application a desire to uproot and destroy; it is often interchangeable with revolutionary <radical innovators, challenging the authority of the past -- G.C.Sellery> <radical and experimental music -- Humphrey Searle> <of mild nature and inclined to oppose radical changes in the established order -- American Guide Series: Maine> <radical and revolutionary view of the state>
synonyms GENEROUS, BOUNTIFUL, BOUNTEOUS, OPENHANDED, MUNIFICENT, HANDSOME: liberal suggests openhandedness and lack of close stinting in giving <liberal gifts to his nephews> <a liberal legacy to his servant> <liberal grants from the legislature> <a liberal serving of pie> GENEROUS may suggest some pleasing personality trait like magnanimity, warmheartedness, willingness to aid, altruism, or forgetfulness of self <he ladled out food with such a generous hand that the Indians named him `Big Spoon' -- American Guide Series: Maryland> <if she gave a friend a present -- and this must have happened every day, for she was generous beyond the dreary bounds of common sense -- Osbert Sitwell> <such a kindly, smiling, tender, gentle, generous heart of her own, as won the love of everybody who came near her -- W.M.Thackeray> BOUNTIFUL suggests lavish, abundant, and unremitting giving or providing <spare not now to be bountiful, call your poor to regale with you ... give your gold to the hospital, let the weary be comforted, let the needy be banqueted -- Alfred Tennyson> BOUNTEOUS has about the same suggestion as BOUNTIFUL but seems somewhat less likely to be applied to persons <the bounteous yields of cotton, alfalfa, small grains, sorghums, melons, lettuce, dates, and citrus fruits for which the state is noted -- American Guide Series: Arizona> OPENHANDED suggests free and unguarded generosity; its antonym is closefisted <openhanded to all appeals for charity> MUNIFICENT may suggest princely or lordly lavishness and richness in giving <had been most munificent to his soldiers. He had doubled their ordinary pay. He had shared the spoils of his conquests with them -- J.A.Froude> <guaranteed by the United States government in terms of munificent land grants -- Irving Stone> HANDSOME may imply either that a gift is large and impressive or that the giver is magnanimous or gracious <final decision to join the Allies was based on their favorable military position ... as well as on the handsome prizes which she was offered -- C.E.Black & E.C.Helmreich> <this method of dealing with her, if not lavish, was suitable, and in fact handsome -- Edith Wharton>
Jewish World Review January 16, 2009 20 Teves 5769
The Bush Legacy
By Thomas Sowell
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Whatever history's verdict on the Bush administration might be, it is likely to be very different from what we hear from the talking heads on television or read from the know-it-alls on editorial pages.
President Bush's number one achievement was also the number one function of government" to protect its citizens. Nobody on September 11, 2001 believed that there would never be another such attack for more than seven years.
Unfortunately, people who are protected from dangers often conclude that there are no dangers. This is most painfully visible among those Americans who are hysterical over the government's intercepting international phone calls, in order to disrupt international terrorist networks.
Many, especially among the intelligentsia, are also obsessed with whether we are being nice enough to the cut-throats locked up at Guantanamo, some of whom have already been turned loose to resume a life of terrorism. The rights of the Geneva Convention do not apply to people who neither obey the Geneva Convention nor are covered by the Geneva Convention.
That a President of the United States protected us from deadly enemies may not seem like much of an accomplishment to some. But it may be more fully appreciated when we get a President who eases up on that protection, in order to curry favor at home and abroad.
We can only hope that it will not take the sight of an American city lying in radioactive ruins to wake people up to the dangers that George W. Bush protected us against, despite an unending chorus of carping.
No one in his right mind would say that the Bush administration was flawless. But many of their worst political mistakes were the kinds of mistakes that decent people often make when dealing with indecent people, both domestically and internationally.
The idea with which President Bush arrived in Washington, that he could gain bipartisan support by going along with the Democrats, and not vetoing any bills that Congress passed, ignored the fact that it takes two to tango.
Having proclaimed his goal as bipartisanship, it was he who was blamed when the bipartisanship failed to materialize. Wooing Ted Kennedy and going along with massive government spending did not stop Kennedy from getting up in the Senate and loudly proclaiming that Bush "lied, and lied and lied!" about Iraq.
Whatever the merits or demerits of going to war against Saddam Hussein, the question whether he had weapons of mass destruction immediately at hand makes a better talking point than a serious argument.
President Bush was not the only national leader who thought Saddam Hussein had such weapons, nor were such weapons the only reason why the Iraqi dictator posed a continuing danger that all diplomatic efforts, over more than a decade, had failed to extinguish.
This issue can be debated, and no doubt will be debated for years, if not generations, to come. But the irresponsible charge that "Bush lied" for some nefarious purpose" to trade "blood for oil" or to generate business for Halliburton, for example" is more than a slander against him. It undermines our whole nation and gives comfort to our enemies around the world.
Domestically, the Bush legacy leaves a lot to be desired. Going along with the McCain-Feingold bill restricting free speech was perhaps the Bush administration's biggest dereliction of duty. Maybe they figured that they could pass the problem along to the Supreme Court to stop it, since this bill so clearly violated the First Amendment to the Constitution.
But the Supreme Court was also guilty of a dereliction of its duty and let the McCain-Feingold bill stand.
Advocating amnesty for illegal aliens was another political disaster, especially when accompanied by denials of the obvious.
Although the Bush administration went along with the chorus of calls for promoting home ownership among people who could not afford home ownership, President Bush at least sounded a warning while others were still pushing lenders to lend to people who proved unable to repay their loans.
A mixed bag? Aren't we all? But an honorable man.
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell011609.php3
Quote:
Main Entry: 1con·serv·a·tive
...
Quote:
Main Entry: 1lib·er·al
...
Main Entry: 2liberal Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: "
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
: one that is liberal: as a : one that is open-minded or not strict in his observance of orthodox, traditional, or established forms or ways b usually capitalized : a member or supporter of a Liberal party <Conservatives, Labourites, and Liberals have two whips each in the House of Lords -- F.A.Ogg & Harold Zink> <in Australia Liberals and Conservatives coalesced ... in the face of the growth of Labour -- Barbara & Robert North> <a preference for the Democratic presidential nominee among Liberals in New York> <in most European countries, the Liberals today are a right-wing party -- A.M.Schlesinger b. 1917> c : an adherent or advocate of liberalism especially in terms of individual rights and freedom from arbitrary authority <writing as a theological liberal> <Manchester Liberals ... fought factory legislation as a cardinal sin -- Louis Filler> <the liberal's concern for individual or minority rights and freedoms -- F.W.Coker> -- compare PROGRESSIVE
Main Entry: 2conservative Pronunciation Guide
Pronunciation: "
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: Middle English, from conservative, adjective
1 archaic : a preservative agent or principle : PRESERVER, CONSERVER <the Holy Spirit is the great conservative of the new life -- Jeremy Taylor>
2 a : an adherent or advocate of political conservatism <it is the task of the conservative not to defeat but to forestall revolutions -- H.A.Kissinger> b usually capitalized : a member or supporter of a conservative political party; especially : a member of the Conservative party of the United Kingdom <both Conservatives and Labour competed for the middle-class vote -- Roy Lewis & Angus Maude>
3 : one who adheres to traditional, time-tested, long-standing methods, procedures, or views : a moderate, cautious, or discreet person <a conservative in his choice of clothes> <the firm was always the conservative in marine architecture>
Thank god we Americans live in a Constitutional Republic.
It's broken and needs to be fixed, but it's not a democracy.
