Nathan Slatter

I hear, often, that conservatives are morons who are simplistic, shallow, and incapable of actually running the country. I find the attacks rather silly and petty. There is no substantive discussion about WHY people feel that conservatives are wrong.

I will admit that one of the reasons that conservatives are disliked is because they push for limited government in all areas of life. Or, they used to, before there was a complete annihilation of the most conservative party by becoming as big as the liberal party desires – only on the other end of the political philosophical spectrum. That said, one of the issues with conservatives is that they would allow the everyday business man or rich person do whatever they wanted – or so it is said.

And the problem liberals have with this is the fact that humanity is inherently bad and therefore incapable of truly caring for humanity in anyway. There is, in fact, a lack of compassion in any single human and all are selfish.

The answer? Let’s put together a group of these selfish uncompassionate individuals who have only themselves in mind and give them the power to take away the success of others in the guise of “doing good” and “morality” and call it “progressive”. Does anyone else see the conflict in this, that these same people who hate humanity are the very ones IN A GROUP, to answer all problems of humanity?

And, too, this is based on the assumption that Americans, in general, are a selfish incapable bunch who has no desire to help others or even capable of helping others. In this concept is the idea that the liberal is the only compassionate one – all others are a shadow of said compassion and should strive to be as compassionate as the everyday liberal. Which is rather pretentious and quite presumptive, I must say.

The fact is that in 2006, USA Today reported that the US gives $295 Billion to charity. And 75% of that was given by individuals, of which 65% of were individuals who make less than $100,000 a year. Yeah, and we’re a bunch of selfish money-grubbers who have no regard for our fellow man. But we still, somehow, need someone else to dictate to us that our morals aren’t enough and that our believing that they are, is mere foolishness and short-sighted.

The problem is that much of that money goes overseas to foreign lands and that there are the people who are here and now, in the US, doing without. But I find that, often, the liberal is quite anti-US. They point to the Civil Rights violations of slaves and scream that it is an US tradition; forgetting that there is another tradition that is intrinsically American – change and evolution (not of the Darwin sort but of philosophy and action).

I find myself in the group that is just under the most hated group in the US – that is the white, middle-aged, rich guy. I’m white and, admittedly (though tough to say), in the middle-aged bracket but I missed out on the rich part of that hate-group, unfortunately. If I’m going to be hated, I would like to be hated because I’m rich.

In my utopian world, I am quite willing to give to my local community. I can’t save the entire world, so I don’t try; but I can save the guy down the street. And if I start saving those in my local community, maybe, just maybe, other in the local community will begin to help those around them. Change can, and does happen, and more often than not it happens with YOU, the individual, not an entity that has no capacity for compassion, reason, or intelligence, that is influenced by those you wouldn’t trust your kids with – or maybe you would and do – to the detriment of yourself and those around you, and, even worse, your child who is learning at a young age that there is no personal responsibility.

That dependence on the government is the only way to go – which is so obviously working, just imagine what would have happened in New Orleans had Ray Nagin had actually been dependent on his own power, ability, and individualism, had he been up to the task, without dependence on some federal government agency that evidently couldn’t find its way out of a wet paper sack with a blowtorch, it is quite possible that the death toll and welfare of the people of New Orleans would have been a lot better. That isn’t to say that the quasi-conservative GWB’s administration was the answer – obviously – but whose fault is it really? GWB, or the fault of the leader of New Orleans who had more than enough resources to get people out but failed to actually do something (perhaps because he thought that Super-Bush would sweep in and save everyone, seeing that he was screaming and crying about Bush not helping out – can you say dependence on a government?)

I’m reminded of an old Jerry Clower joke.

A flood was hitting a small down and a man was standing on his porch waiting for rescue. A boat full of neighbors rowed up and the owner said, “Hey John, jump in and we’ll get you to safety!”

John, the super spiritual individual replied, “Nope. Go on and help someone else – God’s gon’ take care of me!”

An hour later and John, is in the window of his second story and the water is just below the pane and another rescue boat comes up. The rescue worker said, “Hey man, jump in and we’ll take you to safety!”

John, steadfast in his faith, replied, “Nah. Go on and help someone else – God’s gon’ take care o’ me!”

Another hour passes and now John is at the peak of his roof. A helicopter hovers above, a rope drops, and a voice comes over a bullhorn, “Sir, grab aholt of the rope and we’ll take you to safety!”

John, continuing to put his trust in God, replies once more, “No. Go on and help someone else – God’s gon’ take care o’ me!”

The next thing you know, John, due to his faith in God, is walking down the streets of gold toward the throne of God. He arrives, angry. He all but screams, “God, I had faith that you would take care of me! Why did you let me drown?!?!?!”

God looks at him and said, “You big dummy, I sent you two boats and a helicopter.”

There are all sorts of lessons in that one but the one that strikes me most, is that when God sends you a way out – it only becomes an answer when you, as an individual, take steps to engage in that answer. Just as when you see the poor and downfallen in your community, it isn’t a big government agency that is going to be the answer it is YOU as an individual that will make a difference in that person’s life.

I used to say that if the Church would do what the Church is supposed to do that we would have no need for government influence and dependence. I’ve since rethought that and have changed it a bit. If we as individuals would do what we are supposed to do (as Christians or not) then there would be no need for government influence and dependence upon it. So, in the end, the point is this: get off your lazy and expectant ass and stop depending on the government to do what you, yourself, can do – and if you can’t, shed your pride and ask some neighbors for help – I’m sure they’ll be more than willing.