Non Republican Republicans

I’m enjoying the Mickey Edwards book, Reclaiming Conservatism:… I wrote about recently. I even bought the book after reading the free sample. It is not making me a conservative by any means, but I agree with a great deal of what he says in terms of the significant changes in the Republican Party in recent years.

One of the major beliefs of the Republican party/conservatives was a limited government, or government should be a small as possible. A concept I find good and worthy. However, in recent years we have seen the Republicans turn their back on that concept and just want to use the government to force their ideas upon others.

Another basic tenant of the conservatism that goes along with the above, is maximum individual freedom. Again they seem to have turned their back of that belief. Now you see them make and wanting to enforce beliefs systems: i.e. no stem cell research, abortions, prayer in schools, and the like on everyone. This goes against individual freedoms which would believe just the opposite, they are a matter of individual rights and should not be messed about with by the central government. This is as it was in the Goldwater days.

A primary reason for these shifts in conservative thought has been the result of another core belief in the separation of church and state. The Religious Right has found tremendous political power in recent years which it seeks to force upon the public. It makes for strange bedfellows and twisted ideology.

Now a great deal of this is popular with the general public, at least in some cases. Polls have indicated that the majority of Americans belief in a literal interpretation of scripture and refute the theory of evolution. This absolutely boggles my mind. This discussion should have left in the dust with the Scopes Trial. There is no conflict between science and religion except manufactured ones which is ill understand either disciplines, in my opinion.

Well, I have a whole lot more to say, but my mind is more on cruising right now than politics. I and want to read more of the book before getting to interpretation and reactions.