WHAT IS "THE RIGHT" AND WHAT IS "CONSERVATIVE"?

By Allan McNew

There is plenty of room for some to misunderstand this closing statement I made in my previous post titled INTRUSIVE BIG GOVERNMENT AND UNINVOLVED LAISSEZ FAIRE:

“The far right and the far left meet together on the other side of a circle that originates in the middle, and the results, while taking different paths to get there, are the same in the end. A small, wealthy, privileged oligarchy which tramples a very large underclass of enslaved serfs.”

So, what is “the right” and what is “conservative”?

Some will say that the right and conservatism has to do with upholding the Constitution. The Civil War commenced with the elite on both sides largely believing the Constitution was on their side of the debate, the common soldier of both sides largely fought out of patriotic loyalty to their state. The modern left cites constitutional literalism when it suits their agenda, otherwise it's a “living document” to be interpreted on the fly, but they talk about the Constitution too.

Others might say it has to do with the Judeo-Christian background of our nation. I met one religiously conservative gentleman who had many political / constitutional convictions I can agree with except this: he believes that continuing church membership should be a prerequisite for continuing citizenship status, which is clearly unconstitutional. Furthermore, there are groups who have religious / political / constitutional beliefs that closely align with general “conservative” thought, yet do things like wear white robes with pointy hats and burn crosses at night while shouting racial rhetoric alongside of recitation of biblical passages. Leftist smear merchants like to tag everyone on
the “right”, as being “one of those”.

Much of the debate among self described conservatives seems to consist of “I'm more conservative than you”, “No, I'M more conservative than YOU”, “NO, NO, I'M MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN YOU!” with the left piling on with “You're all bigots!” while the circular firing squad on the right
goes 'round and 'round and 'round.

Even though the vehicle was fascism, Hitler could certainly be described as having been about as ultra far right as Stalin was ultra far left, although neither could hardly be described as religious
constitutionalists. However, they pretty much did about the same things, from genocide to indoctrinating the kids. Dictatorial socialism or fascist totalitarianism might not be a great leap from a frustrated, angry representative democracy, and they are only a small step from any temperament affecting a direct democracy.

Political beliefs inevitably involve varying degrees of economic theories. Progressive/socialists appear to believe in regulating every small, insignificant matter involving the economy, to the great
detriment of business small and large. Conservative believers in hands off, Laissez-Faire green light to every "anything goes" excess of any sort of business seem to think that scenario equals upwardly mobile freedom to common, hard working citizens on Main Street. However, as socialist/communist theory of equality realized makes everyone but a privileged oligarchy equally poverty stricken, so is unfettered, accomplished, big money capitalism equally oppressive, with a small mercantalist plutocracy milking a poverty stricken population for all it's worth in the end. Adam Smith's theory of the “invisible hand” that benefits society by virtue of laissez-faire doesn't apply to economic reality any more than Vladamir Lenin's milk and honey collectivist scam sold to his deluded Bolshevik followers, and the left's cleverly misleading slogan “power to the people” is the flip side to the more direct “the public be damned, I'm working for my stock holders”.

There has to be a balance.

I could carry on endlessly with a lengthy tirade of mind numbing, eye glazing facts and examples of what all those evil emissaries of Satan in both political / economic spectrums have done / are doing that screws over the citizenry at large. However, less is more with just this closing thought:

A significant portion, if not a near whole, of those on the self described “right” have been and are expending nearly all of their political efforts in eye gouging one another and kicking each other in
the nuts while "the left” enthusiastically hurls feces at all of them like an army of crazed monkeys on crystal meth. That's how "the conservative right" pulls defeat out of the basket of victory time after
time after time, then blame everyone and everything else for it but themselves.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary