The Conservative Narrative - Part I

What is the conservative narrative? In my opinion, the four pillars are:

1.)  Personal responsibility:  Police yourself dammit!  Work hard to get through school (on merit-based scholarships if possible).  Work hard to get a job you want.  Once you have it, work hard to get better at it (not just to move up the ladder but because it’s the right thing to do).  Live your life with integrity, whether or not you are monetarily rewarded for it.  Do not expect the government to save you from yourself or plan your future for you.  Spend less money than you make.  Put money away for your retirement.  With the exception of a reasonable mortgage or school loans (investments), do not rely on credit.  Pay your bills on time.  Do not play the lottery.  Do not blame others.  Own up to your mistakes and learn from them.  Respect your elders.  Help your neighbor.  Help the poor.  Volunteer.  Be generous.  Smile.  Teach your children to live the same way.

2.)  Limited government:  What government bureaucracy is more effective than the private sector?  What citizen would prefer to give his charitable donation to the government over a trusted, non-profit organization?  Then why do we want the government so involved in our lives?  Let it protect the nation, police the streets, maintain the integrity of our economic and social system by fighting corruption and social depravity (when possible and practical) and pass laws to perform all of the above.  (Addendum: Congress should never be able to approve its own raises.  Such tomfoolery should be submitted directly to the people for prompt rejection.  Nor should unrelated laws, such as earmarks, be hidden in extraordinarily long bills.  This is flat-out trickery and undermines the nature and spirit of representative democracy.)

3.)  Strong National defense:  The United States should do all it can to protect itself.  It should not answer to corrupt international bodies such as the United Nations, nor should it act the fool and blindly trust foreign entities that have historically proven themselves untrustworthy.  It should never let down its guard, hoping that the enemy will let down his.  It should not unilaterally disarm in good faith hoping  that other nations will follow.  It should not go to war until all other avenues have been exhausted and when it does go to war, the entire might of the nation should be behind the effort.  (Let’s stop playing down to the competition, shall we?)

4.)  Meritocracy:  Paraphrasing Martin Luther King Jr., individuals should not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.  In short: race/gender based preferences are demeaning to all and are inherently unjust.