A Political Column by FC resident Larry Wiwi
As everyone in the political world now knows, Rush Limbaugh passed away earlier this week and there have been hundreds of tributes already written but if you can stand one more, hopefully mine will be a little different.
Like so many millions of listeners, I consider Rush the best friend I never met but unlike many listeners, I can say that Rush really did not teach me about conservatism since I had already learned it the way he did, but he did teach me two really important things: First, he taught me how to spot liberal bias in media, in global corporations, and in many of the “reach across the aisle” kinds of politicians.
Second, Rush taught me how to explain conservatism in a non-combative way which is really important since we conservatives usually feel we are on defense since the heavily biased mainstream media portrays conservatives as racist, cold hearted, people who would like nothing more than to return to treating women as second-class citizens and re-establish Jim Crow.
Rush taught me that more than anything conservatism is love – love of people as competent, free individuals, love of our remarkable country’s Founding and love for our country as still the land of opportunity, the shining city on the hill. Conservatives really do love people, and we want the best for them, to freely pursue their dreams and become the best they can be, to pursue happiness as so eloquently stated in the Declaration. We don’t see people by class, race or sex and we certainly don’t see them as victims, we see them as potential, and the government’s real job is to help them realize that potential or at least stay out of the way. That said, sometimes love is tough love, the discipline side of love, which in government normally means we are willing to give a short-term helping hand, but if you are physically and mentally capable of supporting yourself, we are not going to give an ongoing hand out.
Conservative’s love of country is demonstrated in our insistence in protecting our borders and expelling illegal aliens. We do this not because we are racist but because we love our country and our unique culture and want to preserve it, and we cannot do that if we are not careful about whom and how many we let in. We understand how incredibly fortunate we are to be born as Americans, and certainly understand why so much of the world wants to come here, but we also know our culture / country must be carefully protected if it is going to remain great.
Whether you have ever listened to Rush or not, I encourage you to find his 2009 CPAC speech, which he gave off-the-cuff, with no preparation, it is the best explanation of conservatism I have ever heard or read.
Larry Wiwi
This is an excellent post, Larry. Very well stated and very true.
And in the particular case of illegally-present aliens, there is a necessary structure to our society that is disrupted by having too many who cannot (or will not) contribute to it in meaningful ways that bring growth and prosperity for all. That is the reason it must be controlled. Some also bring ideologies that are disruptive and dangerous. Those who come must come to join and contribute, not to colonize and form tribes.
The UNITED States. ONE nation under God. Indivisible. With everybody rowing, all in the same direction.