From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Thu May 15 2003 - 13:05:11 MDT
John K Clark wrote,
> This right-left liberal- conservative thing has
> always confused me, conservatives are supposed
> to be in favor of Low taxes and preventing women
> from having abortions but what does one have to
> do with the other? It’s the same with wanting
> rigid anti drug laws and school vouchers too,
> I just don’t see why it has to be a package deal.
> Liberals have a similar problem, if you want fewer
> restrictions on pornography you must be a liberal
> and want more welfare too; If you want tougher
> environmental laws you are supposed to want less
> spent on the military also. Why, what’s the
> relationship? It’s as if somebody at random
> labeled half of all social problems “liberal”
> and the other half “conservative”.
Actually, these all seem quite consistent to me. Liberals want more
diversity and options available to everybody, while Conservatives want to
maintain the status quo. Consider all your topics in terms of newness and
change:
Abortion: new option that gives freedom to women
Taxes: new funding for new programs
Drugs: new modes of consciousness and new thoughts
Vouchers: a way to get kids away from new ideas (like sex education and
evolution) and back into traditional-family-faith-based schools
Pornography: new modes of sexuality besides the heterosexual missionary
position within a traditional family unit
Welfare: new opportunities for poverty-stricken minorities, might change
the balance of power
Environmental Laws: new restrictions based on the idea that the environment
is being changed
Military: keep new immigrants out and new ideas out to keep America
unchanged
All of these ideas can be presented in terms of change. Liberals are for
changes that they think will be better. Conservatives are against change
and want to maintain the traditional status quo. The Liberal/Conservative
reaction to all these issues seem to me to be totally consistent with those
goals of expediting/preventing change or diversity.
I don't see any randomness or contradiction. It seems all too frighteningly
consistent.
-- Harvey Newstrom, CISSP, IAM, GSEC, IBMCP <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> <www.Newstaff.com>
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