Simplistic Liberal Views

          A similar version of this blog post was published in the letters section of my local paper, The Chronicle of Centralia, Washington on January 2, 2010.  Despite some local references, I thought it would be of use to the greater conservative community.

            While the area around Puget Sound is decidedly liberal, the county I live in is conservative.  Just a few miles from where I live, a man named Chuck Haunreiter resides.  Locally Chuck is well known as an outspoken liberal.  The truck he drives carries a big sign denouncing people he disagrees with and he often writes rambling letters to The Chronicle, the local paper, which I always read.  Like the columns of Dave Berry, they are often amusing, albeit his are accidently so.    

            Chuck accuses his neighbors of being blindly led by, among others, a local conservative radio host, John Panesko, and the local newspaper.  It occurred to me that liberals often dismiss conservative ideas with the claim, “Oh, you’re just repeating what Rush Limbaugh said,” or in this case, John Panesko.  To believe that the political right is a mindless mob led by a single entity is simplistic.  This rather ad hominem retort allows the liberal to validate their feelings about an issue without dealing with the underlying ideas presented by the conservative.

            Another claim made by Chuck, and other liberals, is that conservatives are “right-wing, anti-government,” types.  The standard view is that liberals are on the left and conservatives are on the right. It is a cultural convention in the same way that blue is for boys and pink is for girls and, in itself, is neither right nor wrong.  Okay, Chuck, I’m right-wing.    

          The second claim, “anti-government,” requires scarcely more rebuttal. Anarchists, not conservatives, are anti-government. Those on the right sometimes say they are conservative because they have something to conserve.  Often they own a house or business and wish to hold on to it.  Therefore, conservatives tend to favor law, order and efficient government.  Since additional governmental responsibilities would mean additional taxes and a more intrusive government, conservatives tend to favor limited government.  It is not a case of being pro or anti-government it is a question of the proper scope of government.

            Another ad hominem attack leveled by Chuck and other liberals is that those on the right are extremists.  This attack has always bemused me since conservative tend to support the sound financial and limited government policies of the Founding Fathers.  Are the Founding Fathers now considered extremists?  Thinking that this might be the opinion of Chuck Haunreiter and others on the left, I recall the words of Barry Goldwater, “…extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice!”  

Comments

[Mike]

You're an idiot! Haha, get it? It's simplistic and attacking your character. These ad hominem attacks you speak of, albeit, sometimes true, are the truth in themselves. A big part of conservative strategy is to deny with all their heart an idea without actually looking into it with further detail. That being said, I am not a liberal nor a conservative. Both ideologies make their mistakes. It's ignorant people like you (and liberals) who argue points so one-sidedly that only ignorant people listen to your ideas. How about appealing to reason (just a bit) by trying to be a bit real and discuss the problems that both sides contribute to and some solutions to these problems. You are a disgrace to the American race and you are tearing the fabric of America apart.

[Kyle Pratt]

Ayn Rand once said, There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil. I agree.

[James K. Pratt]

To "Mike" hi Chuck.