I understand conservatives. It"s selfish,but not evil Their need for a strong leader is the crux.

[Swede]

They want smaller government. They want less taxes. They want more guns. They want more police,a bigger military. They hate welfare. They are against abortion. They think the market can solve all problems. They want their scotch,but they don't want you to have pot. They are tough on crime. They think government should stay out of your wallet,but be in your bedroom. I got mine. None of this is evil, but it is against everything a liberal feels in his gut.

[ClassWarrior]

1. It's a mental condition. Read John Dean's "Conservatives Without Conscience."

It's no more evil than Charles Manson's mental condition.

NGU.

[Jade Fox]

8. I more and more think this....

too, that Conservatism is a series of mental conditions. There's a lot of evidence coming out, like Dean's book, that make it clear Conservatism sets in long before someone has any inkling of what politics is all about.

[Lithos]

2. It's a bit simpler

Think two year old.

This is mine, go away.

Conservatives are those who never were able to get to "Things I should have learned in Kindergarten".

L-

[Swede]

3. Even the names "conserve" means keep,"liberal" means free.

nt

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. "Democrats think the glass is half full, Republicans think the glass is THEIRS" It all boils down to

PURE GREED. It's that simple.

[Swede]

5. I read somewhere that a person making $80,000 should no longer

have any financial worries of any kind. House,car,credit card,kids education etc should be ok,absolutely no worrying about bills or the future.

[in_cog_ni_to]

15. That HAD TO BE a repuke who wrote that. Absolutely ridiculous thing to say.

:(

[BlooInBloo]

6. Yes it is evil. They're bigots by choice. They *want* to be bad to people....

... I can see how you missed that though.

[tanyev]

7. The evil comes in when they make exceptions to all of their stated principles

in order to benefit themselves. They hate welfare, but see no problem with giving money in the form of very lucrative government contracts to their friends and cronies, frequently with cozy kickbacks for themselves.

[Jade Fox]

10. The problem is they don't see the connection.....

between those two examples. It's obvious to you, but conservatives would describe the person on welfare as lazy, and the person accepting government contracts as a responsible business person just trying to keep their business going to provide jobs and help the economy yada yada yada.

One of the first things I realized long ago about conservatives as people is that they have trouble seeing the root similarity between one thing and another. It's a strange sort of literalness that rationalizes each individual situation according to the conservatives pre-conceived goals. More simple put: "It's okay when we do it, 'cause we're the good guys." That's why most conservatives are church-goers IMO: They need that stamp of inherent goodness to rationalize their behavior.

[Swede]

12. Exactly. Destroying the village to save it.

Whoa,maybe they are evil.

[annabanana]

13. I'm a good person. I did this, therefore it can not be "bad".

This makes perfect sense to this crowd. You can't shake them out of it..

[Swede]

14. They bemoan welfare queens,but are ok with a fleet of $12 billion aircraftcarriers.

Anyone that skims the gravy,well that is the price of doing business.

[yella_dawg]

9. It isn't clear from your argument

how this isn't evil.

Sure, they're not participating in wholesale torture and murder, a la Hitler, but in the long term, the outcome is about the same.

Small government is fine for a small, diffuse population. A large, dense population with a high level of technology and commerce requires a strong government. (Not an oppressive government, but one with the power to fulfill it's responsibilities.) "Small" government is not only foolish, but dangerous in a modern, industrial nation.

Big, powerful military/police will get used in murder and mayhem. The very existence of a standing military (even if you call it Police) makes fighting a lot easier than negotiation / diplomacy.

The "Market" is a mechanism for concentrating wealth, which is to say, generating poverty. A just society has an interest in the welfare of all, not just those who were lucky enough to be born into a particular role. Capitalism has become little more than a fancy ruse to justify avarice and bigotry. It has become a social cancer.


The "in the bedroom" bit is about control, that is to say, slavery. We're just more subtle with the manacles and whips these days.


It is evil, but as a society, we insist it isn't. That, I think, is where the root of the problem lies.

[Swede]

11. So you are saying a conservative government inevitably leads to a police state?

I will have to disagree. They have many different degrees,just like the left.

[yella_dawg]

17. Wow!

How the hell did you get that from what I wrote?

I'm saying that "It's not evil, it's just greed and small-mindedness" is an enabling position we often take as a society. I'm saying that cruelty and oppression not only reflects on the society as a whole, but affects society as a whole. A lot is implied in my statements.

But not that.

[Swede]

19. Not trying to put words in your mouth..

I hope we're just having a conversation.

[RDANGELO]

16. I think it can all be summed up in one word - - - - PROTECTION.

Above everything else, they want to be protected, even if that comes at the expense of someone else. And to their protectors, they will cling like children to their parents.

[camero]

18. Actually selfishness is the heart and cause of evil

So, yes, I define them as evil.