"For much of our history, Americans — even in our most quarrelsome moments — have avoided the kind of polarized politics we have now. We did so because we understood that it is when we balance our individualism with a sense of communal obligation that we are most ourselves as Americans. The 20th century was built on this balance, and we will once again prove the prophets of U.S. decline wrong if we can refresh and build upon that tradition. But doing so will require conservatives to abandon untempered individualism, which betrays what conservatism has been and should be."No Sir.....not a moment before Liberals abandon untempered entitlement! The forces at work within our nation are those resolutely arrayed against individualism. Whether they be tax fiends on the left or religious fundamentalists on the right.......those who would mold our society into a groupthinking herd, they are responsible for the decline of this nation.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Wrong, wrong, wrong....
E.J. Dionne of WaPo:
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Do you think the forces arrayed against the individual on the right and left are equally to blame?
ReplyDeleteI think he just said that, Gene.
ReplyDeleteLibertarians do not see things as right or left, they see them as a Liberty - Tyranny continuum, with the statists of all parties parking their fat asses on the Tyranny end of the spectrum.
Although I am not a whole hog libertarian, that is how I see things as well.
Unlike the two of you, I am a Christian (an admittedly imperfect and flawed one), and that informs my morals. But I am also an American who respects the constitution as the supreme law of the land. As such, we do not impose Christian laws on the nation, but government must pay out religion in the same First Amendment coin, and respect a church's right to honor same sex marriage or not, and preach what they believe.
Thanks, SF...your first paragraph is pretty much what I would have said, though you probably put it more succinctly.
ReplyDeleteI echo the right of churches to provide or decline activities in accordance with their faith, and don't believe that Government has the legal authority to intervene in that. Though I am a bit critical of the benefits and allowances that Government affords 'recognized' churches, and generally believe that churches get a far better deal than afforded to ordinary citizens.
"Though I am a bit critical of the benefits and allowances that Government affords 'recognized' churches, and generally believe that churches get a far better deal than afforded to ordinary citizens."
ReplyDeleteAnd that is a fair criticism. If government truly got out of the business of handing out money (I know, we can dream), I would not protest churches losing their special status as well.
Dionne exposes his chasm of ignorance about American history with his quip about how we have "avoided the polarized politics we have now". He then goes on to beat the drum of the Left's standard that Bipartisanship is defined as "The Republicans must do precisely what we tell them."
ReplyDeleteI'm also not sure how you would have the government tax churches & still claim to have complete freedom of religion. This question is usually raised by those who decry the 'Christian Right' (somehow the press always manages to avoid any mention of the Christian Left) pontificating about politics (freedom of speech applies to everyone, even Christians), while these same people think nothing about pounding the bully pulpit in Black churches.
Does the right generally have a much different standard of Bipartisanship?
ReplyDeleteTo be clear, I'm not a vocal advocate of taxing churches, but it tax exemption really a tenet of religious freedom? Devout citizens pay taxes yet still worship as they see fit.