Forum Post: Fiscal Conservatism is NOT Fiscal Nihilism
Posted 13 years ago on Nov. 1, 2011, 10:29 a.m. EST by meep
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I recently came to a realization about why I have a distaste for what we call the "right" these days. I've always felt that we need a balance in our politics. We need liberals and progressives to try and push society forward and make sure government is doing good. We need conservatives to moderate our progress and to watch carefully that, in our enthusiasm, we are not doing more harm than good. The problem I see is this: a portion of "conservative" thinkers have passed the bounds of what can reasonably be called conservative into a realm of near fiscal and governmental nihilism, and this portion is very loud.
It's quite possible that many of the people that stand behind the conservatism of today are not truly nihilistic at all, but the prevailing rhetoric makes it nearly impossible to have a reasonable debate about what responsible government is. At the core, I think that's where conservatism has gone wrong, by rejecting responsibility and supplanting it with downsizing. In my mind the GOP is supposed to be the party of responsibility, the party that makes sure we are spending the money right and not wasting it. However, one cannot be responsible if one claims to have nothing to be responsible for. "Not my problem" is not a responsible statement.
What this boils down to is a very old argument. Conservatism in this country has been consumed by the ancient mantra "might makes right". This goes at least as far back as Thrasymachus insisting to Socrates that "justice is what is advantageous to the stronger". What major religion or philosophy actually supports this notion? Did Jesus say "blessed are the wealthy"? Why do we have this notion in our conservative ideology that those skilled an lucky enough to succeed deserve to have their path smoothed while those who suffer setbacks and failures should have no support from their fellows? How is that an American value? Edison famously said "I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward." To me the most American thing is to fail and try again, but if we value success and abhor failure, then we ultimately do not value success at all. And since when was the American government anything other than "We the people"? How can the party that most loudly calls for patriotism suggest that American government is some monster that must be vanquished? To me that seems incredibly inconsistent.
I think it all boils down to this: conservatives need to take back the right from the nihilists. If they do not, then there will be no voice left in this country that calls for restraint, responsibility, and caution in the pursuit of a better American dream for all.
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