March « 2009 « The George Mason College Republicans

Top 5 Myths of Conservatives

March 31, 2009

As part of Conservative Pride Week, we have come up with a list of myths about conservatives and an explanation of why it is not true.

Myth #1: YOUNG PEOPLE are not Conservatives

There is a common misconception that being a young person automatically makes one liberal. This is simply not true! In 2009, the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, DC, attracted over 5,000 college students from campuses across the nation. More and more young people are becoming active in the Conservative Movement, but youth conservatism does not end there. The foundational principle of conservatism is liberty. It’s about letting individuals make their own decisions about how to live their lives. Young people are traditionally associated with holding anti-establishment views, the very foundation of conservatism! If you believe you’re the best person to be making decisions on how to live your life and spend your money, chances are you’re more conservative than you think.

Myth #2: Conservatives aren’t DIVERSE

This is most definitely false. There are many notable minority and diverse conservatives. To name a few Walter Williams, Star Parker, Thomas Sowell, Clarence Thomas, and Michael Steele. Conservatives do not believe in preferential treatment but this in no way indicates they are not diverse. Everyone is equal and should have the same opportunity to excel.

Myth #3: Conservatives don’t care about EDUCATION

Conservatives believe that all Americans should have the opportunity to a good education. The believe that public schools have failed in providing students with this opportunity as a result of political agendas, state politics, and other distractions that keep the system from working. Thus there needs to be an alternative to this failed system. Conservatives believe that school vouchers will give all parents the right to choose good schools for their children, not just those who can afford private schools.

Myth #4: Conservatives don’t care about the POOR

The notion that conservatives don’t care about the poor is ridiculous. Conservatives do care about the poor, and believe the poor should have an equal opportunity to resources available to everyone else. However, conservatives do not believe that the government is the solution to people’s problems. Instead, Conservatives encourage individual people and charities to help the poor.

Myth #5: Conservatives don’t care about the ENVIORNMENT

One of the principles of being a conservative is being a good steward. This includes the earth. Conservatives encourage proper stewardship of natural resources in order for everyone to pursue their right to life, liberty, and property. The liberal media claims that the earth is in danger, and anyone who doesn’t believe in so-called “Global Warming” is against the environment. Environmentalists are seeking to take over every business in the country in order to have clean air and a healthy environment. If we look back to our father conservatives, such as Thomas Jefferson, we will see that they were agrarians who believed in farms, not big business and sought to conserve and protect our earth. Conservatives are not anti environment, we are simply anti environmentalist.

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Posted by CA Conservative

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

March 26, 2009

Zero. That’s how many times President Gorbachev mentioned Ronald Reagan’s name in his address to the Mason community on March 26. Mr. Gorbachev’s lecture, titled 1989: Looking Back, Looking Forward was an opportunity for those in attendance to hear about the historic events of 1989 involving the Cold War and their effects on our world today. And who better to discuss such significant events in our world than a man who was right in the center of it all? However, one key player was conspicuously absent from the recounting of these major events of the 20th century: President Ronald Reagan.

Whether or not you like Reagan or his policies, the idea that his role in the fall of the Soviet Empire, the end of the Cold War, and the collapse of the Berlin Wall is so insignificant as to not even mention his name in a retelling of those events is completely and utterly absurd. Even the left-leaning publication Slate featured an article in 2004 titled “How Reagan Won the Cold War.” Reagan should receive, at the very least, on honorable mention regarding the ending of the Cold War. After all, it was not until he came into office that the United States ended its failing policy of détente, forcing the USSR to comply with Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative and no-nukes policy without compromise. While Gorbachev’s open attitude and relative willingness to accept change were crucial to the successes of 1989, as noted in the Slate article mentioned above, had anyone else been President during this crucial period, “Gorbachev almost certainly would not have received the push or reinforcement that he needed.” The most important thing to note about Reagan’s drive and determination to push his policies through came from his unwavering belief in liberty and free enterprise, combined with his determination to see the fall of Communism. From the very start of his presidency, Reagan made his beliefs clear that Communism would not only fall, but Western ideas would prevail. In a 1981 speech at Notre Dame University, Reagan said this:

“The years ahead will be great ones for our country, for the cause of freedom and the spread of civilization. The West will not contain Communism; it will transcend Communism. We will not bother to denounce it, we’ll dismiss it as a sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages are even now being written.”

And Reagan was right. Communism did fail and the values of individual liberty and economic freedom arose victorious. Gorbachev told the Mason community that all of the world’s current financial problems are to be blamed on our “blind faith” in free enterprise. Communism is responsible for the deaths of over 100 million people throughout history , while history consistently shows that economic freedom consistently leads to prosperity and a higher quality of life. Reagan knew this and was not afraid to say it. We cannot use Gorbachev and his failing ideology as a guideline for how to map out our future. We must look to the legacy of Reagan; one of freedom and prosperity.

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Posted by lysscordova

Support the Troops!

March 3, 2009

Come out this week and show your support for the troops! GMU Police Officer Brian Higgins is in Iraq and all donations will be sent to him. He has requested the following items: