The Conservative Edge

There I was a couple of days ago, sitting in front of the computer, reading some columns featured on the Dayton Daily News website. I try to respond to one or two columns a week, just so I can feel good about contributing to a liberal newspaper from a conservative perspective. I noticed an article written by Thomas Friedman, a well-known columnist who writes for the New York Times. He states that America is losing ground in technological development and innovation. Part of this decline is due to the high cost of doing business in the U.S. Businesses here face extremely high corporate tax rates, and the federal government is reluctant to use subsidies or other financial incentives to keep corporations planted in American soil.

So, I felt the need to respond to Friedman’s column. I wrote that Friedman is actually correct in theory. There is no good reason that American companies should not prosper by operating here in the States. Furthermore, as companies grow, they usually provide cheaper goods and services, and employ larger numbers of people. This employment includes not just production workers, but research and development teams as well.

However, the Obama administration, and all Democratic leadership, consider corporate profits to be evil. Carter wanted to tax the oil companies, Clinton harassed Bill Gates and Microsoft, and now Obama has taken swings at the car companies, Wall Street, and the big banks. It seems impossible that Obama and his cohorts in the House and Senate could even think of reducing unemployment without stimulating business growth. They think they can increase taxes, pile on stricter financial and environmental regulations, and yet somehow realize positive growth of America’s GDP. I closed my remarks on the Dayton Daily News website with the statement “capitalism needs capital.”

Honestly, at the time I posted my comments, I had no idea that Jack Kemp had made that exact statement years ago. I didn’t read of his observation until today (March 6). He was right. Capitalism is the only economic engine that has allowed the rise of America’s middle class, and given so many individuals the chance to obtain real wealth. Capitalism also fueled the fantastic technological advances of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The capitalist system allowed the development of steam engines and railroads, and later the telegraph, electricity, motion pictures, radio and television, not to mention the automobile and the production line. None of these things would have progressed the same way under another economic system.

But we have a President, and a liberal Congress, that views capitalism as an evil institution. No wonder we are losing technological ground to China and Korea. No wonder that real unemployment hovers at 16 percent. No wonder that this country isn’t producing enough scientists and engineers. The only people prospering now are government administrators. Jack Kemp was right. Capitalism needs capital; and America needs capitalism.

One thing that readers of this blog can expect to see is a new title for this site. I felt that January 1 was an appropriate day to change the name to “The Conservative Edge.” It seemed necessary to express a greater purpose for this blog, and to also imply that conservative and independent Americans should have a finer “edge” that can slice through the negative anti-American ideology of the liberal movement.

Conservatives had best be honing their blades with the whetstones of intelligence and objectivity. Hiding behind our more virtuous lifestyles is not enough to resist the coming of a totalitarian, party-based dictatorship. Conservatives MUST learn how to communicate effectively, especially in the realm of public speaking. We must write, speak, and make sure that our ideas are heard and known.

Conservatives must not be content to be pigeonholed and stereotyped into the uncouth, illiterate crowd that liberals have created for anyone who disagree with them. It is actually our patriotic duty to offer our dissenting views, especially when our ideals are based on reason and intellect.

Otherwise, we can expect a tighter noose that is now strangling the life out of the Constitutional principle of personal freedom, and the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. The liberal movement is implementing an agenda that is designed to make Americans so unhappy and despondent, that they turn to big government for very subsistence. And when that happens, the liberals will have control and will usher in an era of party dictatorship.

Remember this lesson from history: Adolf Hitler did not seize power in Germany all at once; he manipulated the political parties, and made coalitions with them, resulting in Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor by the aged German president. The Nazis’ motto was: “Dictatorship by Democracy.” We are witnessing the same development of absolute power in America. Conservatives—sharpen your “edge”!

I want to begin with this disclaimer: I know there are many loving wives and mothers who want to establish and protect a traditional two-parent household. I believe that women should be paid fairly for the work they do outside the home, and recognized for their work in the home. The Biblical proverb holds true, that a virtuous woman has a value that far exceeds that of rubies. I certainly agree.

Somewhere along the line, however, our values have changed. Single moms are held in highest esteem, while single dads are ignored. High school girls show off their status by getting pregnant. Court systems overwhelmingly give child custody to women; many fathers have limited visitation rights, with some only being able to visit by webcam. The recent Valentine’s Day was almost entirely devoted to pleasing women. In fact, I couldn’t find one advertisement in my local paper that suggested any kind of gift ideas for men.

Look at television. Daytime talk show programming is dominated by “The View”, “Oprah” and “Ellen.” Prime time shows include “The Closer” and “Saving Grace.” Lots of sitcoms feature an attractive woman who has to continually chastise an inept, bumbling, unattractive husband. White males, especially, are portrayed as smart or stylish only if they are gay as well. Movies are just as offensive.

Just a few days ago, I read a column by Nicholas Kristof, who writes for The New York Times. He proposes that the Wall Street meltdown was caused by too much testosterone. Apparently, some studies have suggested that high levels of testosterone cause men to make risky decisions. As a result, men who made risky trades saw those trades go sour, which caused chain reactions in the marketplace, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars for investors. Kristof says, “Wall Street is one of the most male-dominated bastions in the business world…there’s evidence that the result is second-rate decision making.” I wonder if Mr. Kristof thought there should be fewer men on the trading floor when his 401k was making money. It’s clear that he doesn’t realize how the market works, and equally clear that he is jumping on the feminist bandwagon.

If we want to find an example of risk-taking, we should consider the behavior of Nadya Sulemon, the mother of the octuplets born in California. She is a perfect example of feminism gone crazy. She has obviously absorbed the feminist idea that she can do whatever she wants with her body. The feminists and liberals insist that a woman has the right to choose an abortion, but Sulemon has taken that view to the opposite extreme. She claimed the right to have as many babies as she wanted. Now, there are eight little people in a California hospital fighting for their lives. Doctors fear that some of them may develop permanent disabilities. Their medical costs are expected to reach into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Testosterone wasn’t involved in the risk taken by Nadya Sulemon. I’d love to take Nicholas Kristof, Hillary Clinton, Rosie O’Donnell and a host of other feminists on a tour of the maternity ward where those octuplets are being cared for. I would remind them that it’s one thing to lose a million dollars, but another thing to put a child’s life on the line. This is what feminism and liberalism has done to America’s families and children. You can’t put a price on a child’s life.