Yes, I stole that title from Barry Goldwater, but it basically summarizes the title to my thoughts – if my thoughts could have a title – at a time like this. The opening pages of Goldwater’s famous book could have been written today. Liberalism has succeeded in so many facets of popular culture to portray the Conservative philosophy as merely a “rich man’s” creed – as simply a system for amassing as much wealth as possible. On the contrary, it is Liberalism that reduces Men’s value to their material means – by what they have and what they can buy. Conservatism is the creed which knows that Man is both a material and spirtual being – that his worth is not measured in coin.
At the root of the Conservative philosophy is the belief that we are all individuals. We are each unique – with our own gifts, talents, limitations, and interests. We must take care to tend to our material side - food, clothing, and shelter. But we must also tend to our spiritual side - faith, love, charity. The two halves of humanity, as Conservitives see it, must both prosper for humanity to prosper. The more dependent we become on a central collective power for our material wellbeing, the less liberty we have to choose our own unique path and to nurture our spirit. We are less in control of our own lives and with this loss of liberty, our spiritual half begins to die. I do not say this lightly: when the spirit of a people is lost, they will welcome a demagogue to rule them.
In the wake of the House passage of the Democrat healthcare reform bill, it seems clear that the old Liberal narrative is alive and well. Nancy Pelosi said they have made history by providing healthcare for all Americans. For a Conservative, such as myself, to be against this may seem heartless to some. But that is the opposite of the truth.
A Conservative is not “against” healthcare for all Americans. This conclusion implies that the only legitimate source for healthcare is Government. What a Conservative is against is this bill (soon to be law no doubt) because it makes more people dependent on the government for their wellbeing.
America was founded by uncommon men. And it’s culture allows each individual to seek and achieve as much as his talent and ambition will allow him within the confines of Natural Law. Our economic might is not the source of our greatness, it is a byproduct of our culture over the last 230+ years.
With the passage of this healthcare reform bill, we will take one huge step further down the road toward a philosophy that only views Man’s worth by what he produces and what he has. Eventually, the cultural capital we have in this country – our national spirit – will run dry. If we do not reverse course, the result will not be a peaceful, happy, plentiful society – but a barren, miserable, violent society. We are not there yet (thankfully). But that is what this healthcare reform means to a Conservative – a huge step in the wrong direction.
