-Caveat Lector- ~~for educational purposes only~~ [Title 17 U.S.C. section 107] Conservatives Looking More Like Liberals Every Day by Harry Browne Once upon a time, liberals in the Democratic Party were the principal defenders of individual freedom against big government. The champions of liberty -- people like Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and Grover Cleveland -- came mostly from the Democratic Party. The conservatives -- who were the Federalists, the Whigs, and then the Republicans -- upheld the traditional, long-standing view that our rulers know what's best. People like John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt imposed their views of the national interest by violating the limits on government, without caring how that hurt individual citizens. In 1932 Franklin Roosevelt criticized conservative Herbert Hoover for trying to cure the Great Depression with the same elixir that had caused it -- big government. Roosevelt was the last Democrat to win the presidency by running as a traditional liberal. But once in office, he became even more conservative than Hoover -- reverting to the old way of using government to try to solve problems. By the start of World War II, he had already doubled the federal budget. A few Democrats protested this betrayal of the liberal heritage. But the rest were pleased that their party was no longer the minority party, and they gladly transformed themselves into supporters of big government. To provide a contrast, conservative Republicans had to begin posing as advocates of smaller government. But it's doubtful that they've ever really believed in the idea of individual liberty. No matter how many chances they've had, they've never done anything tangible -- even during the Reagan administration -- to make government smaller, less expensive, less intrusive, or less oppressive. Is there a difference? So today both liberalism and conservatism promote big government. Both make a big deal about obeying the Constitution. But both sides ignore the Constitution to pursue their objectives -- liberals for social welfare, conservatives to stamp out drugs and immorality. And each side ignores its own stated objectives. Free-speech liberals vote to censor the Internet and put a V-chip in your TV set, while anti-welfare-state conservatives vote for federal intrusions into health care, education, and welfare. So no matter who's in power, the government gets bigger and your freedom gives way. The political game In truth, it's all a game -- a political game. Whatever real liberals and real conservatives may stand for, the politicians on either side stand for only one thing -- power. They want to be in office, and they'll do whatever they think will achieve that. They betray their stated ideals as easily as the 1930s liberals did for Roosevelt and as the 1990s liberals did to defend Bill Clinton. They're applauding whatever George Bush does -- supporting John Ashcroft (who has voted regularly against the Bill of Rights) and applauding >big-government intrusions into education, charity and religion. They even cheer the president's use of executive orders to circumvent Congress -- although they condemned Bill Clinton for doing the same thing. What happened to principle? This may seem inconsistent, but it isn't really. In the eyes of conservative activists, Bill Clinton is bad and George Bush is good. Thus, by definition, whatever Bill Clinton did was bad and whatever George Bush does is good -- even though they're doing virtually the same thing. Every argument made against the Clinton health-care plan seven years ago could be made against George Bush's faith-based charity scheme. Both plans would take decisions away from free people and put them in the hands of bureaucrats. Where do you stand? But why should _you_ support the very things you oppose? Why should you try to make George Bush seem better than Bill Clinton -- even as George Bush is working to expand government at your expense? The only political issue of importance is: Who will run your life -- you or the politicians? -- Barbara Boxer, Maxine Waters, Diane Feinstein, and Willie Brown are not political leaders. They are thieves, crooks, and charlatans. Any state that elects those folks to office deserves whatever punishment it receives. --William L. Anderson, http://www.lewrockwell.com/anderson/anderson29.html <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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