All of our current political issues boil down to one question: What is the role of government?

It is the persistent and instructive Locke vs. Rousseau question: Do our rights come from God and celebrate the individual, or do they come from the State and celebrate the group? Locke argued the former, formidably. Rousseau argued the latter, with brilliant intellect.

However, speaking as one who does not have a Mensa-level IQ and cannot safely navigate a simple calculus problem, I nonetheless am smart enough to know that government should  play a limited role,  that solutions should be sought from family and  all corners of the community prior to government ordinance.

 In short, government should always be a last resort and  never a reflexive first response.

Think of how stark this current administration stands in relation to such a concept. In every attempt to solve a problem, the Obama administration has offered only Big Government solutions, without so much as a nod to the pioneering spirit that launched this nation and allowed it to prevail  and prosper. This administration never considers how the landscape of free markets or the nature of communities has, repeatedly, satisfied the problems they endeavor to leave to Bi9 Government.

Indeed, they oddly hold suspect the attributes and underpinnings that have made the United States a beacon of freedom in a world of dictatorships and subjection.

One might assume that the argument against big government would be obvious and not require such  intellectual effort in a day when individual states are going bankrupt and where our  government must now humbly request funding from countries who, at best, are a ‘distraction’ to human rights.

It is challenging to remind people of history and how we arrived at  our current situation. In matters of governance it is instructive to remember that all powers granted to the federal government originally came from the states.  Yet today is seems that states are punished if they do not follow the mandates laid down by the ‘thoughtful’ leaders in D.C.

 Is that what The Founders intended?

Today we are witnessing a massive expansion of the federal government, often conducted through the execution of  arcane laws which have been broadly misinterpreted and in spite of an overwhelmingly disapproving electorate.

When have you seen the current administration encourage,  or even acknowledge,  the brilliant role small business plays in our economy?

If one presupposes that “the bigger the government the smaller the citizen” (Dennis Prager) is true, then our collective voices ring more silent with the passage of each new and massive federal mandate.

So again I ask,  what should the role of government be? Should the individual concede to the group? If so what does that mean for personal liberty and freedom?

Democracy and free markets are an  American hallmark. With a nod to the professorial class, we are a “Representative Republic”, with an active electorate, yes, yes.  Describe it however you wish.  But consider that today, those nations which have a positive GDP are those which have embraced capitalism, even as we shrink from the mere mention of it. Throughout the world, leaders of countries whose economies are growing  have more in common with Reagan than Stalin. Socialism is so very 20th century.

But here in the United States, where it all started, we are regressing. At the helm is a President, a novice to governing,  who believes we are what is wrong in the world.

Expect taxes to increase, liberties to decrease and the further diminution of the individual.

If you believe that the role of government is to provide for a subsistent and safe life for all citizens, so be it. But be warned that such “cradle to grave” thinking renders tepid the dreams of inventors, obviates the entrepreneurs and provides roadblocks to all who dare pursue their dreams.

If you choose government as a solution, be warned that a brave new world is neither.

Until 2012.

What many pundits miss when considering the 2012 election cycle  is the 800-pound elephant in the room: Obama now has a resume.

What made Obama so special, his aura of invincibility and the great message of Hope and Change that he repeated at every whistle stop on his two-year campaign for the presidency, has been pierced by the needle of reality. There will be no Styrofoam Greek Columns in 2012. His will not be a new face on the scene in 2012.  His promises of post-partisanship will ring fraudulent following four years of hyper-partisan governing.

In 2012, Obama will be what Conservatives have known all along: a misguided liberal full of promises but lacking the skill sets necessary to deliver. America will see Obama as a charismatic anomaly whose shelf life was exceeded and who will no doubt still be blaming his predecessor for his current problems. America will know that Obama is an ideologue who appears to have more in common with our enemies than he does with the American people.

Obama will run as a vunerable, out-of-step candidate in 2012. This is a critical point because his Conservative opposition, whomever it may be, will be campaigning on proven formulas for economic growth, not glossy, air-brushed visions of how things ‘could be’. His opposition will drive home over and over the record of Obama, and in doing so Obama will be forced to wage two simultaneous campaigns: One with his opponent and one with his poor record.

In short, the Obama “mystique” will be gone, the electorate will have woken from its long slumber in the poppy field, and hard questions will be asked. Obama will be forced into numerous and frequent question and answer sessions where he will not be able to hide behind his teleprompter. He will look human and, at times, unable to sufficiently answer questions posed to him.

The job of the  GOP candidate will be to effectively illuminate Obama’s poor record, portray Obama as wistful and ideological and, ultimately, put forth the argument that America has spent way too much time in the shallow end of the pool and that it’s now time to get back to the business of putting America back on track.

Obama’s Achilles heel will be his own resume.

Clear, decisive ideological lines have been drawn across the American political landscape since the election of President Obama. Something about our current President has caused more public dissent and agitation than any election I can recall.

At first these lines in the sand knit themselves together with the organic yarn of concerned neighbors holding small rallies. Those modest but critical early efforts were the precursor to the now famous and very influential Tea Party movement.Numbers grew. There were town hall meetings repeated across the country which pitted concerned voters against their elected officials who lost their way in a manner reminiscent of an earlier, simpler time, and with just as much passion.

Still, against overwhelming opposition by the American people, health care reform was forced through, as was the government’s full and complete takeover of student loans, with much more damage on the way.These events follow the takeover of automotive companies, the banking industry and now, while government employees suffer from a 4% unemployment rate, the country is suffering a 17% unemployment rate.

The polls consistently and without exception show a level of anger among the electorate I have not previously witnessed. With respect to health care reform, even Bill and Hillary Clinton dropped the matter entirely and moved toward the political center when public opinion unequivocally showed that the American people did not want such legislation. During that time, the publics distaste for national health care was but a shadow of what it is today.

But that was over a decade ago. This current administration, operating on the simple and completely incorrect notion that well-educated acadmics know better than the average, unwashed citizen and, moreover, that this group of elite liberals must drag the unwashed masses kicking and screaming into the 21st century where government goes from being large to omnipotent, where the sheer force of a liberal agenda, finding itself in a brief pocket of time where they control the House, Senate and administration, can muscle through laws and mandates that, even on a cellular level, are antithetical to what has made this nation so great.

So what’s next for Conservatives? I am so impressed and full of pride at the work my fellow Patriots have done over the past year, and I want to suggest a few bullet points regarding where we need to go next.

1. Conservatives need to make the effort to read, listen to and support their fellow Patriots who are producing quality blog posts, internet radio broadcasts, etc. If you have a website or blog, you need to link to like-minded blogs and weave the stitch tighter. In short, support those among us who are trying to make a difference. Avail yourself of modern technology. Do your part and support those who are doing theirs.

2. Use Twitter to share important news of the day. Use Twitter to share links to the colums  written by your fellow Tweeps and Patriots. We must knit ourselves together, get to know one another better, and put the larger purpose above any single, personal goal.

3. We must win over, as much as possible, the opposing side. I was once a liberal, and thanks to people like you I was converted and have become a player in this fight to keep America’s core values in tact. So it can and must be done. Reach out to those who offer diametrically opposed viewpoints. Use a little humor and finesse. Preaching to the converted means you end up with the same number of intellectual soiders as when you began. 

4. Every Patriot should be emailing and calling their local representatives weekly. Make it routine. Place it high on your priority list. A constant onslaught of feedback from Conservatives to their representatives can go a long way.

5. Read the Bill of Rights, The Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense”. Know your argument better than your opposition knows theirs. Fight with facts, not insults. We all know that their prescription for change ends in bankruptcy and a failed nation. But if you do your reading you’ll be that much more convincing.

The current administration is on a spurious and anti-free-market End-Run, gearing up to pass as much partisan, socialistic legislation possible before the mid-term elections shift the political balance once again, preventing the further arrogant use of arcane legislative loop-holes. By knitting ourselves together tightly, interacting with each other beyond what we have done, supporting our fellow Patriots and their media efforts (blogs, websites, Internet radio programming),  we will have a tremendous impact.

What can You do? Subscribe, listen, write to those websites that are doing the heavy lifting. Keep in mind we are still a center-right country, and know that by building friendships, reaching out to the unconverted and staying on message will go a very long way to positioning ourselves for November.

Keep the faith.
“

Ted Poe (R-Texas), attempts to defend the ideals and intent of the United States Constitution despite the rhetoric.

Liberals have long since learned that debating Conservatives can be a challenging endeavor, since Conservatives have a penchant for fortifying their arguments with facts, statistics, history and other elements that create convincing and thoughtful arguments.

Not to worry. The following are several tips Liberals can use right away to begin defeating Conservatives in every debate, every time.

Lib Tip # 1: Drop the Race Card: The moment your Conservative opponent begins crafting a cogent, air-tight argument buttressed in fact, drop the race card. This technique is designed to stifle further discussion, impugns your opponent and puts him on the defensive. Often, this is enough of a distraction to direct attention away from your lack of qualitative, quantitative evidence.

Lib Tip # 2: Impugn the Source: When debating a Conservative, content is less important than character. When your Conservative opponent states a compelling argument, do not address the argument and instead attack the Conservative personally. Since we are all sinners, it shouldn’t take long to find something wrong with your opponent. Use it.

Lib Tip # 3: Social Justice Trumps Logic: Argue every issue from a “Social Justice” or “Moral” high-ground. The Conservative will attempt to show that your ideas are unworkable, unsustainable or downright illogical. Don’t worry about any of that. Just stay on message by arguing from the moral, social justice perspective.

Lib Tip # 4: Exploit the Weakest Link: Define your opponent by his weakest link. If 10,000 Tea Partiers hold a rally, and one guy has a placard that is inappropriate, that is all you need to characterize the entire group as radical, racist militants. See how that works? It’s simple and fun and, most importantly, deflects all those awkward facts and articulate points away from the discussion and leaves the Conservative in a defensive mode.

Lib Tip # 5: Use “New Speak”: If health care is not a right according to the Constitution, and you want it to be a right, claim it is and then raise your voice. Raising your voice is always the best course of action in lieu of a good argument. Redefine words to suit your needs, and always be on guard for any stray, powerful fact or statistic the Conservative may use to support their position.

Lib Tip # 6: State the Opposite of what you believe: If you are in favor of taking money from producers and giving it to non-producers, that’s fine, but make sure your wording is a bit more obtuse than that. Try saying you are in favor of moral and social justice, and characterize everyone who earns a good living as somehow having won the lottery in life, and all those who want as being desperately hard-working folks who have an almost allergic reaction to hand-outs. Never imply or point out in any way that people can change their situation simply by making better decisions.

Lib Tip # 7: Define America by it’s Errors, not its Successes: Taking a cue from Lib Tip # 4, it is important to characterize America by it’s errors in judgement and misdeeds. It is critical that you completely overlook the good things America has done, and the manner in which it has beaten back one dictatorship after another. In fact, you must go to some lengths to divert people from the notion that without America, the world would be a far more dangerous, hostile, sad place. So talk about Indians and Slaves.

Lib Tip # 8: Blame talk radio and FOX news for fanning hate and racism: Avoid at all costs the fact that both talk radio and FOX news stand in defiant refutation of an otherwise fully agreeable media that presents only one template, a liberal template. Also, attempt to divert attention should someone ask why Conservative Talk Radio and FOX news is growing  exponentially, while traditional, liberal media is closing offices, thinning their employees and running deficits like, you know, the government.

Lib Tip # 9: Government is Good: Insist that a massive expansion of government is a good thing. Assert that it is our patriotic duty to pay ever more in taxes so that a centralized government comprised of east and west coast Liberal elites can decide what is best for the unwashed masses, since it would be sheer lunacy to allow individuals the right to make decisions for themselves. If you run into problems, see Tips 1-8.

Lib Tip # 10: Assign Blame away from Yourself: Always assign blame to the other guy, preferably a Conservative. This may require rewriting history so that people may one day believe that Reagan did NOT usher in 25 years of prosperity, or it may require still more retooling of the content of public school text books. But over time we’ll get there.

Remember: The ends justify the means. No matter how cruel and violating the means may be, if it results in a mediocre society where all citizens ultimately suck off the the government for their most meager needs, it will all be worthwhile.

There is of course the small matter of where all the money for all these programs will come from. Right now, they come from spirited entrepreneurs, dreamers with drive and other people whose passion poses a direct threat to the new world we want to usher in.

But first things first. Learn the ten tips to squelch free speech, hurt your opponent with the intellectual equivelant of a kick to the groin and avoid facts, statistics and studies altogether, as those will get you in trouble.

Good luck Liberals! Battle on and remember what Dennis Prager said: The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen. Oh wait, no. You don’t want to remember that. My bad. Here, try this: From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. Yeah, that’s the one. Whew!