Posted by
FJR on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 5:47:59 PM
At my tender age of seventeen, I have come to accept the fact that my ideological intellect is anything but immovable. I have been raised by conservative Republicans. My grandfather and father especially have taught me, with both their words and actions, the timeless values of Conservatism: the capacity of the individual, the belief in limited government, and efficacy of the free flowing power of a free market system. These are values that I will always hold close to me, for I believe deeply in their importance.
These last five months have changed me, however. I have seen the flaws in the economic theory of capitalism, flaws that are undeniable. Yes, some would say that the free market is not to blame here. This was government's fault. I see this as ideological effrontery. Yes, government made mistakes, but we have checks and balances when it comes to government. Capitalism made mistakes without any system of checks or balances. This needs to change. I feel that the kinds of people who rely again and again on government as scapegoat, people like Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, they are what I used to be. At this point in my life, I do not see government as evil. Are they capable of it? Of course. But I refuse to label the entire institution as such.
This failure of capitalism has taken me to a deeper internal discussion on what the role of government should be. I used to believe in small government. I used to to think about things with the pre-conceived notion that no matter what, government is not the answer. But no longer. Now I believe in limited government. I believe that when entering any political decision, a certain set of ideological questions should accompany: Can government help here? Does their help hurt anyone else? Will this hinder our civil liberties? And ultimately, I will ask myself can government work here?
I have come to realize that government already has a major role in our society. To say that government is the problem regardless of the situation that faces you, is juvenile.
Centricity. What does centricity means to you? It is usually attached with a mannerism of governance, rather than how someone should think. For example, today, the media recognizes that Obama is a liberal, but insist that he govern from the center. I feel that centrism can be ideological. Aristotle was a centrist. He believed in eliminating extremes and using the mean. This is where I have fallen at age seventeen. I feel that I am a Conservative, but I cannot call myself a Conservative today, not if Rush Limbaugh is the bellwether of the ideology. So, as of now, my sentiment has fallen upon the center with the ideological belief in limited government, with a recognition though that government can work.