Open Letter to Conservatives

[idlewind]

I think many Americans didn't think the stimulus bills did enough, but were glad for the extra money and extra weeks of unemployment.

This is the basic problem with government stimulus efforts. They produce a few weeks of benefit and then the person is still faced with the same problems. The only long term fix is creation of private sector jobs. No stimulus can help with as much as creating private jobs.

 

[idlewind]

Well, I THOUGHT we had found some common ground.

My point was that we CAN'T kill all the bad guys--we CAN'T "eliminate our enemies."

We can get a good many of them. But keeping our troops on the ground doing police work is insane. Go in, do the job and get out.

 

[AlphaCrab]

If you want conservative candidates to have any chance in November will you please shut up about vacations, birthplaces, racism etc. etc. and concentrate on health care, taxes and the war effort. The liberals keep baiting us with topics that really are inmaterial in order to keep the focus off of how bad they have bungled the economy and led the country towards a drowning in debt.

Sorry, your self annointed leaders (Rush Limabaugh and Palin) have set the new standard of Conservatism, the new litmus test-- vacations and birthplaces are a big part of that test. You are suspect, if you choose speak out against these silly issues, as you have just done.

I applaud you Idlewind for this post, at least you are speaking out. Intelligent, fiscally smart Conservatives are out of fashion right now-their focus is too narrow. No one has to "bait" anyone for that.

They have no one to blame-you stay silent and lay down with dogs, you become part of the pack. That simple.

 

[ugabuga]

We can get a good many of them. But keeping our troops on the ground doing police work is insane. Go in, do the job and get out.

OK--let's say we agree on this point.

Wow! That felt pretty good!

 

[Alicia Leonard]

As a conservative I hope liberals continue to talk about racism, we just need to keep quiet and let them hang themselves.

What ordinary working Americans care about is whether they and their children can get a good job and whether the debt we are taking on will cripple the country for their children.

The huge amount of national debt and a plan to deal with it should be issue #1 for conservatives.

Most people like regulating insurance companies regarding pre-existing conditions. But most want tort reform and do not want the government making their health decisions. And the new bureacracy and taxes that the health care bill adds make most people cringe.
The two stimulus bills ( one Bush's and one Obama's) hurt rather than helped. They only succeeded in piling on huge amounts of debt with little or no private sector job growth. This should be issue # 2 for conservatives.

We should get out of Iraq and Afghanistan ASAP. We should have bombed the taliban into hades and came home. Same for Saddam.

I have serious doubts about whether the finance reform act will do anything positive for average Americans.

Cap and Trade will further cripple the economy and would be a huge burden on working Americans. This should be issue #3 for conservatives. People understand higher energy costs and how it they would hurt them.

These are just thumbnail political sketches and I hope we can talk further about all of them.

I'm a hard working ordinary American and I care very much about health care and it being affordable.

 

[idlewind]

I'm a hard working ordinary American and I care very much about health care and it being affordable.

I agree, I too want affordable health care. I pay through the nose for what I have. However, I do not think the recent bill is the answer, in fact I think it will do little to reduce cost and will only result in the federal government attempting to make my health care decisions. The reform should have started with tort reform and making it illegal to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions at higher premiums and a prohibition on raising rates if the insured gets sick.

 

[AndrewG]

I totally agree. This whole racial issue is backfiring.

FOXNews.com - Video Shows USDA Official Saying She Didn't Give 'Full Force' of Help to White Farmer

To think this was something she thought people would not only approve of but support which they did by clapping. Lets see Al Sharpton address this...

NAACP is very racist. Look at how the crowd responds to her at their meeting.

As a liberal, I join with idlewind's request that conservatives shut up about vacations & birthplaces.

Racism, however, I think is pertinent:
The current issue about whether the Tea Party embraces or tolerates racists should not be swept under the rug.

I welcome honest/informed discussion on health care, taxes & our wars:
I support the health insurance reform act that principally keeps insurance companies from (1)denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions, & (2) raising premiums excessively. The president & congress have accomplished what many liberals have only dreamed of for almost 100 years.
I give the president/congress credit for averting a 2nd Great Depression via the Stimulus Act.
I would like the president/congress to get us out of Iraq/Afghanistan ASAP.
Now it also looks like the president/congress have succeeded in passing long-overdue financial reform.
Also, the president/congress are looking seriously at long-overdue environmental/climate legislation.

Yes, indeed, let's have a discussion/debate on the real/important issues.

 

[Matt J]

I'd like to see one conservative grow a set and admit that one of the quickest and simplest way to eliminate the deficit and reign in spending would be to cut military spending.

Quick question for the conservatives; which country has the largest Air Force after the US Air Force?

Careful it's a trick question.

 

[Lake View Too]

I'd like to see one conservative grow a set and admit that one of the quickest and simplest way to eliminate the deficit and reign in spending would be to cut military spending.

Quick question for the conservatives; which country has the largest Air Force after the US Air Force?

Careful it's a trick question.

...cut military spending...oh, that's a good one...

 

[idlewind]

I think that we could certainly save money in the defense budget. Our military should be strong enough to prevent any foe from attacking our homeland. The rest of the world should pay to protect themselves instead of America footing the bill. Where we can cut is by bringing the troops home from Europe, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. and let these people pay for their own defense. Some of these troops could be better utilized securing our borders.

I wish some liberal would grow a set and admit that we could cut entitlements to save money.