The modern left formed by people who bought into the promises of the social justice that would come from centralization.
We've had two centuries of non-debate in which Left and Right claw at each other with neither party adequately defending our freedom.
This shrill non-debate is reflected in the current government shutdown.
Members of the GOP are making a valiant stand against the imposition of PPACA (ObamaCare). But their efforts have no clear end game.
Since the effort lacks a coherent plan to eliminate PPACA, I fear this effort will not achieve the goal of restoring health freedom.
PPACA is a network of exchanges imposed at the state level but regulated at the federal level. The glorious stand against funding ObamaCare might slow the implementation of this bad law.
The lack of a coherent strategy to rid of us PPACA might make the effort backfire.
A coherent plan to turn back PPACA must include a way to break the state run health exchanges.
As far as I know, the only possible way to create such a coherent plan is to discuss the mathematics of health care.
For the last five years, I've been in search of a Conservative group willing to discuss the mathematics of health care.
I've been unable to find anyone within 700 miles of Salt Lake City with enough interest in preserving freedom to spend an evening talking about it.
Since Conservatives have done a pathetic job of defending freedom, and since conservatives adamantly refuse to discuss free market health care reform, I am stuck in a mire where I am forced to examine the roots of conservatism.
I live in the most conservative (west of Tehran). Conservatives here simply slam the doors on debate and belittle those who try to engaged in substantive discussions of the issue.
Simply shutting down the debate does not solve the problem.
Personally, I have never seen a problem solved by closing down discourse. I read about the great problem solving efforts in history. Every single successful problem solving effort involved people who were willing to discuss the issue.
Even though I've gone five years without finding anyone brave enough to talk about the issue, I fervently believe that the freedom movement could win the day if only people were willing to meet and talk.
Personally, I have never met a conservative who was willing to discuss ideas. (BTW if you happen to be a conservative: Yelling past people, kicking them down, then insulting them after you spit in their face is not discourse).
I want to be cheering on the effort to defund ObamaCare, but I don't see it restoring the free market. Defunding ObamaCare will simply change the group that controls the exchanges.
Restoring Health Freedom would involve people engaging in discourse.
Conservatives, by definition, are closed-minded people who refuse to engage in discourse.
So, I harken back to the foundations of Conservatism.
In 1776, Conservatives stood shoulder to shoulder with the British and fired their muskets at the US Founders.
After the revolution, Conservatives turned inward and fired their vitriol at those who challenged the institutions of the monarchry.
I live in Utah which was founded by a conservative group of the early 1800s.
With the possible exception of Iran, Mormons are the most "severely conservative" people on the planet. So, I've been rereading the foundational literature of this severely conservative group and getting depressed.
Conservatism began as a reaction to the classical liberalism of the US Founders. Classical Liberalism is different from Modern Liberalism. Classical Liberals saw property rights as the foundation of liberty. The US Founders were creating a society on property rights with a widespread distribution of property.
The quote below is from the Book of Commandments written by Joseph Smith between 1830 and published in 1833. This document is supposed to be listing the New Commandments and to be considered on par with the Ten Commandments in the Bible. This is foundational literature. It reflects the foundations of Conservatism.
You can find photocopy of the plate on The Institution for Religious Research.
25 Thow knowest my laws, they are given in my scriptures, he that sinneth and repenth not, shall be cast out.
26 If thou lovest me, thou shat serve me and keep all of my commandments; and behold, thou shalt consecrate all thy properties, that which thou hast unto me, wih a covenant and deed which cannot be broken; and they shall be laid before the bishop of my church, and two of the elders, such as he shall appoint and set apart for that purpose.
27 And it shall come to pass, that the bishop of my church, after that he has received the properties of my church, that it can not be taken from the church, he shall appoint every man a steward over his own property, or that which he has received, in as much as is sufficient for himself and family:
28 And the residue shall be kept to administer to him who has not, that every man may receive according as he stands in need:
29 And the residue shall be kept in my storehouse, to administer the poor and needy, as shall be appointed to the elders of the church and the bishop; and for the purpose of purchasing lands, and the building up of the New Jerusalem, which is hereafter to be revealed; that my covenant people may be gathered in one, in the day that I shall come to my temple.
Please, read the quote again.
This is the type of reactionary thought taking place in the 1800s that evolved into modern conservatism.
Today, we have conservatives who love to spout free market rhetoric. The actions of conservatives seem to be systematically undermining the liberties established by the US Founders.
This type of disconnect between rhetoric and action is precisely what occurs when the rhetoric of a movement is at odds with its foundations.
We look at DC, and see Conservatives making a lot of noise about liberty, but systematically failing to advance liberty.
Perhaps this is because Conservatism is a paradoxical partisan approach to politics that undermines liberty. Read the quote again. If you are a conservative, this quote is foundational conservative literature. It is the most profoundly conservative document in US History. When I read this document, I see an ideology that is in conflict with the classical liberal ideals of the US Constitution and US Founders who were striving to create a society based on property rights.
When I look at the shrill debate in DC, I see a group engaged in rhetoric and action with no coherent plan. With no coherent plan to eliminate PPACA, the most this action could hope to accomplish is the capture of PPACA.
I am not a conservative. I am a fan of the classical liberal ideals of the US Founders and inscribed in the US Constitution. I don't want to stand against PPACA just to make noise. I want to stand against PPACA to restore freedom. I am convinced that the only way to restore freedom is for people to talk, but the Book of Commandments commands that those not in the political hierarchy of the partisan group must be cast out.
By this foundational believe that people who are not in the covenant be cast out, Conservatives have created a dystopia where it is impossible to discuss ideas of adequately defend liberty.
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