My Overall Political Philosophy

At the outset, I want to give you some insight into my political philosophy so that you will be able to understand and evaluate the comments and observations that I will be making on this blog.   Many of you will not agree with my philosophy, which is fine.  If you don't agree with my philosophy, I hope you have a philosophy of your own.  I don't think you can have an informed opinion about the important issues facing this country without developing an underlying philosophy on which to base your opinion.

By way of background, I want to acknowledge that I was once a liberal but am now a conservative.  Yes, I used to be a liberal.  I was never on the far-left fringes like many of my friends in the 1960s, but I was still a liberal.  I was born and raised to be a Democrat, and I considered myself to be a Democrat until I was close to 40 years old.  I hate to admit it, but I even voted for Jimmy Carter and against Ronald Reagan during the 1980 Presidential campaign.

I gradually shifted from being a liberal to being a conservative during the 1980s after reflecting on my life experiences and the failure of the so-called "progressive" policies that I once supported.  Even though I voted against President Reagan in 1980, I developed great respect for him, and I am sure his conservative philosophy rubbed off on me and played a role in my conversion from being a liberal to being a conservative.  Another factor in my conversion was my career change in 1983, when I gave up a partnership in a large law firm to become General Counsel of one of my clients.  As a partner in a law firm, I was a beneficiary of extensive government regulations.  The firm's business clients paid us a lot of money to help them sort through and comply with regulations.  As the General Counsel of a company, I had a budget for legal expenses, and I was met face-to-face with the costs that businesses incur to comply with regulations.  These costs, of course, represent a burden on the entire economy because they ultimately get passed along to consumers.  All of us pay the price for government regulations.  It is embedded into the cost of everything we purchase.

Why do I label myself as a conservative?  As a matter of general philosophy, I believe in limited government, low taxes, free markets, free trade, policies that are favorable to business and that encourage investment and job creation, and policies that encourage individual and personal responsibility rather than dependence.  Most liberals, on the other hand, support policies that result in extensive government regulation, high government spending, and high taxes.  In my opinion, the policies supported by most liberals have the effect of penalizing success and personal achievement, creating an unfavorable climate for business and thereby resulting in the creation of fewer new jobs, and creating large numbers of citizens who are dependent upon government for their livelihood.

Almost everyone I know agrees that government does not do anything well.  Nevertheless, politicians, especially liberals, continue to press for more government programs and more government involvement in virtually all aspects of the economy.  Our nation faces some of its most serious problems in areas where we already have extensive government regulation and interference.  These areas include, but are not limited to, education, health care, and energy. Why, then, does it make sense to want more government regulation and interference in these same areas?  It seems to me, as President Reagan once said, that government is the problem--not the solution. 

Does my conservative philosophy mean that I do not want the government to help people in need?   No, it does not.  I think there is a role for the government to help people under certain circumstances.  I do not believe, however, that it is government's responsibility to meet the needs of its citizens from cradle to grave.   In my opinion, existing government entitlement programs are excessive, have created too much dependence on government, and are expanding at a rate that is not sustainable.  To make matters worse, politicians, in an effort to get elected, are constantly proposing even more programs that would cost billions of dollars and shift even more responsibilities from individuals to the government.   As an individual, I feel strongly that I have an obligation to help people in need, but I think the best way for me to do this is by supporting religious organizations and charities, which in most cases operate far more efficiently than the government.  As the government becomes more involved in providing social welfare programs, citizens feel less responsibility to take care of themselves and their own family members and to support the programs provided by religious organizations and charities.

I want to emphasize that I am referring to myself as a conservative and not as a Republican.   I have been very disappointed in the Republican Party in recent years.  President Bush is a Republican but he has not governed as a conservative.  Moreover, Republicans squandered a tremendous opportunity when they controlled both houses of Congress.  Instead of operating ethically and promoting conservative principles, they let their power go to their heads.   They deserved to lose their power, and they did.

In my next post, I will disclose who I am supporting for President and the United States, and I will start giving you my reasons for supporting the candidate of my choice.