Few Rules, Few Exceptions
My Take on Being Politically Conservative
My Take on Being Politically Conservative
Thanks again for your very cogent and thoughtful reply. I too have examples of “The Right” behaving poorly when it comes to “shutting down” speech with which or whom they do not agree. Very poor form regardless of ideology. In the end game, all speech is silenced and our society has no method for evolving through future challenges. And that is how cultures and societies die as with lesser living organisms.
I appreciate your extension of sorrow for my Twitter experience, but there is no need. I too recognize the existence of true misery in our world and it greatly deserves our empathy and attention. As an individualist, I am not surprised when I receive flack for a choice I have made willingly. I adhere to Personal Responsibility and am eager to assume Risk while experimenting with ways to attain Gain.
While I was musing about your latest reply, it struck me that perhaps we could have a go at defining our respective Ideologies. I recognize that such definitions would be personal interpretations based on life experience and observations, but I am interested in learning what it is that you believe motivates the behavior of the adherents of your Political Ideology.
Photo by Heidi Sandstrom. on Unsplash
As for me, I view American Political Conservatives as having a strong reliance on the Founding Documents (Constitution, Federalist Papers, etc.). Not for a lament to a return to 240+ year-old uninformed culture and technology, but for an experimental society that is based on a system of limited-federal government that recognizes the primacy of the rights and responsibilities of the Individual and the States. I celebrate the ability of individuals to innovate new ideas and culture as they Pursue their Happiness. And if it requires a change in local laws, they have the greatest political leverage to organize and act locally. If it turns out to be a fantastically successful change, then they can petition the Federal Government to examine how well it would play across the entire nation. If it is great for a state, but bad for other states, then the innovation stays local. If it turns out that the experiment fails and is bad for the state as well, then the experiment can be discontinued and the Federal Government can help repair the damage using support from the other states.
Distilled to a thought nugget, I view Political Conservative Ideology as
“Few Laws, Few Exceptions”.
Balancing this Ideology is the Polar Opposite of Political Progressive Ideology as
“Many Laws, Many Exceptions”.
I am a Systems guy, and while I appreciate efficiency for its strong ability to reduce waste (huh, “conservation”…), in my professional experience, lots of laws and regulations only promote efficiency if the system is static. As soon as anything changes, there is a loss of efficiency and the system may actually be less efficient than originally formed. To react to the change, more laws and regulations are needed to bring the system back under control. These new controls are often presented as specific exceptions to the rules.
This leads to an ever-growing list of rules, regulations, and exceptions that must be fed and maintained — consuming more energy, resources, and attention than the original system they were intended to improve. The exceptions become particularly onerous as each exception must be carefully considered using historic case law or new rulings based on new information. Ultimately, this leads to cronyism as individuals, corporations, and organizations lobby for individual exceptions that are of benefit only to themselves.
Bringing this back to President Trump, I interpret the intent of his policies and administration as the Reduction of Laws and Regulations, a deflation of Federal Power, and a return to Personal and States Rights. Civilizations that do not have the freedom and ability to innovate, fail. My Political Ideology does not include a call for No-Rules Anarchy of Dirty Air, Dirty Water, Deforestation, and Rape and Pillaging by Nomadic Bands of Mercenaries. It simply seeks a reduction in the laws and regulations that gum up an individual’s right to innovate responsibly. There are interests, concerns, and careers directly attached to our current Rules and Regulations, so I appreciate that for some individuals this results in an upset of their current world and sphere of influence.
This recent TEDx talk is an interesting presentation on the need for societies and systems to grow, be maintained, and have the freedom to continuously innovate.
I am greatly interested in learning your personal Political Philosophy. You don’t need to assume the responsibility of speaking for half of the population. I am simply asking about your individual views.
Thanks as always!
-Bill =]