Synopsis of the article:

1.  Conservatism for me calls for self governance
2.  Live as you preach
3.  Compassion and reason for your fellow man
4.  Good sportsmanship, and grace in defeat.
5.  Freedom and prosperity for EVERYONE
6.  The Constitution means something, and shouldn't be subverted for short term political gain

I grew up when Ronald Reagan was in power and we had statesmen and diplomacy.  Ronald Reagan defined his conservatism in terms that today my own party views as moderate and the far left describes it as radical.  I am disappointed in some of the so-called leadership of our party because they really do not represent things I believe true conservatives believe.  Rush Limbaugh does not represent me.  He represents himself, trying to keep the ratings for his show up.  Dick Cheney does not represent me.  He is trying to protect his legacy.  Mitt Romney and John McCain do not represent me for the simple fact that they hold to one view when running for Senate and a completely different view when running for President.  To me, that’s called waffling and flip- flopping.

The Republican Party has devolved into a two issue party: Low taxes and no abortion.  I believe these are extremely important principles, but you have to have more ideas than two.  I went to the Des Moines Tea Party here a month or so ago and they talked about taxes for about five minutes and abortion for the next 50.  I know abortion is an important issue, but it is not the only issue.

Ronald Reagan believed in prosperity for everyone.  For Blacks, Hispanics, Chinese, Indians, Native Americans, Whites, Gays, single mothers, single fathers.  In essence, everybody who was an American.  He believed that economic prosperity for all Americans set you free.  He also believed that you cannot have individual economic prosperity with a punishing taxation system.

He also believed in trying to understand his fellow man’s plight.  He understood why we had illegal immigration and he fought against it.  He implemented several rules that, at the time, people were hopeful would work but, unfortunately, they did not.  But the key issue is that he had a kind heart and tried to put himself into other people’s shoes.

He also believed in the power and spirit of the American people and that he believed the vast majority of American, 99% and better, were capable of self governance and making the decisions about their life and that they would make good decisions about their lives.  Because of his faith in Americans,  he reduced the government’s burden and intrusion into American’s lives.

He believed in the right of all Americans to be able to defend themselves, their homes and their properties, and supported the right of every American to bear arms.  He supported a strong military because he understood there were people in the world who simply hated America, and wanted our destruction. (Such as the Taliban and other extremists).  He understood that there are other people in the world who do not want freedom for the masses, but want power for themselves and to instill ideologies of hate, ignorance, and educational devastation through oppression. 

He believed abortion was wrong, but showed a spirit of being able to compromise on the issue because other people, even religious people, have a different view of abortion and since we are all Americans, we all need to come together in the spirit of cooperation on issues that divide us.

Ronald Reagan believed in free enterprise for everybody.  He believed that if we were going to tax the small business sector, that that money should be going to improving the infrastructure of small business.  Under Ronald Reagan and George Bush, more minority families were able to buy their own homes and first time home buyers who were minorities increased significantly.  A lot of these homes were built by minorities who had started small businesses and had become successful.

Ronald Reagan also believed that if you took morality out of American lives you would have de-evolution of American society, families, values and norms.  He believed that if you took the father out of the home and replaced him with a government check, that economic and social disaster would ensue.  I don’t have to quote the statistics about the state of our families and our social institutions.  All you have to do is look around, and   watch reality TV programs, maybe a little MTV, and you’ll know I’m right.  And you’ll know he was right.

Ronald Reagan believed social programs were meant to help people get back on their feet and that these social programs should not be permanent and there should be a limit to the length of time people can be on them.  This is something even the Democrats can agree to as demonstrated by Bill Clinton when he had to face a majority of the House and Senate who were Republicans and signed into law welfare reform.  People often give Bill Clinton credit for that particular issue, but a review of the legislative record shows that it was Newt Gingrich who championed the idea brought about by conservatives, and he made a consensus work.

Ronald Reagan believed in term limits for politicians because he understood that new politicians may show up in Washington with wide eyes and bushy tails, but it doesn’t take long for them to settle into the luxuriousness of “fat cat” status.  I was in DC when I was a teenager and a young adult, working for Senator Bill Armstrong from Colorado, Senator Roger Jepsen from Iowa and briefly for Senator Charles Grassley (who, by the way, is a true conservative, even though some in the media has branded him a moderate).  It was working for these fine statesmen that defined true conservatism for me in my adult, professional life.

I often marveled how Congressman and Senators could show up to these prestigious institutions with barely a penny to their name, yet within two to three years be riding in limos and flying around on private jets with a million and half dollar homes in Crystal City or any of the other affluent suburbs.  And at the time, I didn’t really understand how that happened.  I thought they must be doing something unique or special or that they truly deserved it.  As I grew older I realized they were raping the system, sucking all of the benefits out of it and instead of trying to serve the people they started serving themselves.  (As a side note, there have been several studies done that show men that lie are much more popular and much more believable.  Isn’t that a sad commentary on our modern society?)

Ronald Reagan believed in Christ and the principles of Christ and believed whole heartedly in the Way and the Life.  If you followed the Way and the Life, which is very similar to what other prophets of God have suggested, then you’d understand the basic laws of decency and kindness and acceptance and equality of those who are different, seeing the individual for who they are and what their potential is.  In giving hands up instead of hands out, the strength in the community and the people, the values of a strong family and the evils of a strong centralized government.  As a follower of Christ and the Way you will understand that even though you may disagree with somebody, you can still live in peace with them.  As a follower in Christ, you also know that you are allowed to defend yourself and your liberties with aggressive action against all enemies foreign and domestic

These are the principles I believe in.  The people I look to as my leaders of the Republican Party are Ronald Reagan, Chuck Grassley, Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee.  I may not agree with them, but they all hold these values to be self evident, including the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness.