I have had a number of conversations these last few weeks regarding the election cycle with conservative and libertarian friends who are forlorn and cynical about the current political class and the election results. I understand.
Here is some perspective, however, that will hopefully encourage you in the aftermath of Tuesday’s election:
We must remind ourselves of the role of the Federal Government. Its role is to maintain an adequate defense and regulate interstate trade, according to our U.S. Constitution. These limitations on Government are worth fighting to maintain and this weeks’ election is no reason to forget this and relent in defending liberty.
There is hope that no matter how bad it gets we have, for the first time in human history, a system of government that (although under attack for decades) treasures the liberties given to us by our Creator to pursue life and justice as our conscience dictates. We can fall back on this. No amount of Socialism or corrupt politicians can take the concept away from us! For the first time in human history, the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence along with the Federalist Papers and the Articles of Confederation articulate the freedom and hope we all crave.
Being conservative is hard. And being liberal is easy. Human nature always wants change for the sake of change. We are not unlike the Children of Israel who after tasting freedom and Divine Intervention for the first time in generations, longed for change and ease to the point of offending their Rescuer. We must fight against this base human nature to be discontent and lazy – abdicating our freedom to government authorities – and instead strive to love our neighbors actively, not passively through a bureaucracy that pretends to be more benevolent than we are.
Don’t be forlorn! We need to continue to spread the message that reclaiming personal responsibility for our communities is the only way we be equipped as a nation to provide true “well-fare” and education for our neighbors and our children.
Our Founding Fathers planted the seeds of independence and liberty. Our current political class may try to till up that ground and plant further dependence on the Federal government. And when that ideology fails (again) to mature, its lack of roots and maturity will demand more government control, resulting in further erosion of liberty…
I am hopeful we can prove Thomas Jefferson wrong when he said, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.”
Hold your head up as a conservative or as a libertarian and get involved more than ever. Your country needs you! If not you, then who? A jaded and despondent conservative constituency has little to offer the country it cares to preserve. I care too much about my children to give up the conservative fight.