The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 6 of 13)

br> that the economy is going to tank). Yet, Frum seems to feel that, according to IBD , "Americans must acclimate themselves to a higher level of taxation." Rubbish! Raise those taxes, kill investment in American companies, junk the economy. Now THAT'S the spirit! Then the Republicans will be wandering the wilds again like they did for how many decades. /p> p>I will read Frum's book, but only a library copy, and with a jaundiced eye. I won't have him sharing space on my bookshelf with the likes of Sowell, Friedman, von Mises, von Hayek, Hutt, Bartlett, Rothbard and others. br> -- Jim Bjaloncik br> Stow, Ohio /p>

Mr. Frum has me confused. Does he think true conservatives reside in the Republican Party just so they can be part of the "winning team" no matter what the party believes? Do I have to become a liberal so I can remain a conservative?

I have always voted Republican because, though not perfect (by any stretch of the imagination), the Republican Party has always been the closest to my conservative ideals. I support low taxes and economic freedom not because Reagan made them fashionable in the 1981 but because they are absolutely essential to a thriving economy. Should I vote for higher taxes, whether they come in the form of higher marginal rates or carbon taxes, so I can be on the same side as the thirty-something ignoramus who has never lived thru bad macro-economic times and is too stupid to wonder why?

What other conservative principles must be jettisoned to appeal to the modern voter? We certainly don't need a strong military. After all, no young American has ever lived thru a time when our country has actually lost a war. Why not dispense with property rights. Most young voters don't own property so why would they care about property rights? Why not capitulate on government health care, gun control, illegal immigration, etc. and just give in to our inner liberal?

The reason we don't is that bad government policy circa 1980 is just as damaging as bad government policy circa 2008. Conservatives should be promoting why our country has been so successful over the last 25 years and not trying to create a new liberal/conservative hybrid that is doomed to failure. Why should conservatives care about Republican Party electoral victories if the party starts pandering to a liberal worldview we absolutely oppose?

p>If I want to be a part of a liberal electoral juggernaut I can always become a Democrat. br> --

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Taxes, Bill Clinton, Mainstream Media, Business, Earmarks, Social Security, Religion, Books, Law, Military, Africa, Conservatism, Immigration, Medicare