Conservatives vs. Liberals

 Most Americans give little thought as to the meaning of the terms "conservative" and "liberal",  although  they see themselves as mostly on one side or the other.  They'll think, I'm for open borders so I must be a liberal.  The conservatives are against it.  Liberals are for a woman's right to choose.  Conservatives are for "life."

If you think that way, you're not giving the country a fair shake.  The meaning of "conserve" is to save what is good for society.  It's what the country has fought for and what has proven to be worth the sacrifice.  To be a liberal is to take the position that we are where we are, but we can do much better.  

There's a problem in my opinion with reducing one's position down to "conservative" or "liberal."  The problem with conservatism is that much of what we've fought for is well worth holding on to.  But there's a fear of change even when it becomes clear that some sort of change is called for.  In a changing world, it often becomes necessary to change past procedures.  However to try to institute untried methods can do great harm to all that is good in our system of governance.  It can prove dangerous.  It can take a troubled system and make it worse.

There are two things that should concern today's Americans who wish to keep the positive aspects of our democratic system on course.   The first calls for a more critical analysis of current problems and the second has to do with holding in check the power that is often found in a small minority.

Examples:  

Gun control:  States with the most stringent rules on gun ownership generally have more murders in their cities than smaller, rural communities.  Both liberals and conservatives should work on this problem.  They should have done so years ago.

The country's borders:  Why is this an issue only for conservatives?

A woman's body:  Right-to-life vs Right-to-Choose (often stated simply as "Choice".  I have a problem here.  I strongly believe it's a woman's right to choose whether she wants an abortion or not.  This issue is tied up in religious theology and such issues are generally the most difficult to deal with.

The economy:  We've got a hundred experts.  Pick the one you like.

Going "green":  I can see the arguments in favor of going green.  But, it's quite obvious that if the rest of the world (say Russia, India and China) son't limit their use of fossil fuels, our efforts will have almost no effect on global climate change.  But, more than that, they'll significantly weaken us vis a vis our  enemies; namely Russia and China.

The list goes on, but I'm stopping here.