Can Conservatism Save Us

In the last two years, my mind has been dominated by the question: "Can Modern Conservatism save us from the problems caused by Modern Progressivism?"

The answer, of course, is a resounding NO!

The US Founders had a Liberal Arts education steeped in classical logic and Christian ethics. They applied classical logic to the question of governance. They realized that government is a limiting force on people and that, by creating a Constitutionally limited central government, they could create an unlimited people.

Conservatism is a reactionary partisan ideology of the 1800s that accepted the framework of modern logic and co-evolved with Modern Liberalsim (also known as Progressivism).

Conservatives often trace their intellectual heritage to Plato, Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes and Edmund Burke. (Edmund Burke was a member of the British Parliament.)

Yes, the current breed of Conservatives love playing on the image of the founders, but conservatism and the ideals of the US Founders are fundamentally different. 

It is impossible to restore the American Experiment in Self Rule by pursuing a path which is fundamentally at odds with the ideals of the US Founders.

Yes, Republicans love waving the Constitution, but I beg Republicans to tell me where the Republican Party appears in the Constitution!

It doesn't.

The great Left/Right divide that dominates all aspects of modern politics came in the generations after the Founders.

The Left/Right split of the French Revolution was one with a radical left seeking a fundamental change in the social order and the reactionary right seeking to preserve the class structure of the ancient regime.

This split led France to ruin.

Why is it that the GOP is so dedicated to this split?


The US Founders engaged in a rational discussion about the foundations of government.

Conservatism is a reactionary movement to preserve a class structure. The idea that a reactionary movement to impose a class structure will restore a rational argument about the role of governance is absurd.

Anyway, Conservatives trace their ideology to Plato, Machiavelli, 'Hobbes and Burke.  By following theses philosophies one ends up undermining the American Experiment in Self Rule.

People here wave the flag and promote the image of the US Founders but suppress rational discourse.

I spent six solid years with the goal of finding a conservative willing to discuss free market health care reform only to discover that Conservatives have no interest in preserving freedom.

I jokingly refer to Utah as the most conservative state West of Iran.

Conservatives here often profess a deep hatred for all things liberal. When I look to the Middle East, I fear that I am seeing the direction that Conservative ideology leads.

When I look at ISIS and Hamas, I see right wing religious zealots who hate and denounce the US and Israel as Liberal. Conservatives are partisans who hate liberals. Hamas and ISIS are conservative partisan groups lobbing missiles at Israel and beheading Christians because they see these groups as a Liberal threat.

Here in the US, loud screeching partisans pronounce a deep hatred for all things liberal then shove everyone aside in their grub at political power.

I live in the most conservative capitol west of Tehran. This notion that people denounced as liberal must be driven out of the community and the Conservative oligarchy must suppress political debate leads a free society to ruin.

Conservatives and their intent on restoring the class structure of the ancient regime leads to serfdom just as progressives with their faith in a totalitarian state leads to serfdom. Conservatives, who are seeking the restore the class structure of serfdom are actually taking a more direct road to serfdom than the progressives.

ISIS is a right wing group of religious zealots. ISIS and Hamas are shades of Conservatism.

The US Founders wanted to avoid the factions of Europe. This Left/Right split was an import of European factions. The Radical Left and Reactionary Right create a sounding board that magnify the troubles of the day and allow the formation of a ruling elite.

The Left/Right split amplifies conflict until people are divided into warring factions willing to follow strong leaders who will oppose their partisan opponent.

If we wish to restore the promise of America, we must reject this Left/Right split. Marching down the path of conservatism does not lead to freedom, it amplifies the split and leads to an entrenched class based society.