TOP 10 CONSERVATIVE MYTHS
"Conservative Success is based on two things: You forgetting their sorry history, and swallowing down these whoppers!" - by www.conservativemyths.com
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MYTH #1. CONSERVATIVES ARE THE REAL AMERICAN PATRIOTS!
"This concept would be laughable, if it wasn't so tragically perverse. Far from being patriots, conservatives are reckless and dangerous citizens, consistently veering very close to being actual traitors, and they've actually stampeded across that line several times in American history.
Consider the American Revolution. Conservatives were against it! Yes, they were the "Party of No" back then, too. Remember that the definition of a conservative is one who wishes to promote, preserve and/or restore traditional "values," hierarchies and institutions. True to form, in 1776 they wanted no part of breaking away from English tradition and their much beloved British monarchy. They liked being the king's subjects. They were called "Tories", the name still used for the conservative party in England. So conservatives started off on the wrong side of American history, and that's where they've been ever since."
"Out in Texas, meanwhile, conservatives consider themselves Texans first, Americans second (if at all). Recently Texas conservatives, including Governor Rick Perry, have rekindled the periodic Texan whine about seceding from the Union. Meanwhile, up in Alaska, there is the conservative Alaskan Independence Party, which promotes breaking away from the United States. This is the organization that Todd Palin (yes, Sarah's "First Dude") belonged to for seven years. Then we have the conservatives in Wyoming, home of Dick Cheney, who are also pondering a secession plan, complete with their own aircraft carrier that can tool around in Lake Yellowstone and perhaps send sorties out over the increasingly blue state of Colorado. Throughout the South, in Texas, Alaska and Wyoming it's all more macho posing and bluster than considered thought, but, again, it just goes to show how shallow "love of country" for conservatives really is."
"Moreover, in their quixotic quest to wrench power from the liberals since the last time they nearly ruined the country (the 1920s), conservatives have deliberately promoted hatred toward any government that isn't run by them. When they aren't in control, conservatives do everything they can to delegitimize the political and moral authority of those who are. This is a whisker away from high treason. Confucius was just one of the wise men who taught that it would be better for a nation to lose its security and its food than the trust of the people for the government. This is absolutely true. Many a once-powerful nation throughout history disintegrated once its people lost faith in their government. Once the public loses confidence and love for their government, civil strife is sure to follow, and so the Constitutional mandate of promoting the general welfare of the people is thwarted."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #2. AMERICA IS A CONSERVATIVE COUNTRY
America was born in its day as a radically liberal experiment, and has only become progressively more liberal over the past 230 years.
Let's always keep our fundamental definitions of the political ideologies of liberal and conservative in mind:
Liberal: favorable to progress or reform, open minded, tolerant, creative, promoting ever greater liberty, equality, justice and pursuit of happiness; generally opposing aristocratic and unequal hierarchies.
Conservative: fearful of change, inflexible and unimaginative, disposed to conserve traditional hierarchies, institutions and traditions.
It is true that many Americans consider themselves religious, as well as prudent and frugal, and so they may think of themselves as "conservative." So this is how the big myth that America is a conservative country seems to have the ring of truth, and remains popular. But these are not exclusively conservative traits by any stretch. One can be extremely liberal and still be religious, prudent and frugal. The majority of Americans may be a lot more liberal than they think. And as a whole, America is way more liberal than conservative.
Anyone who wishes to expand liberty, equality, justice, pursuit of happiness, and love for one another is a liberal. If you believe in the wisdom of the common man; if you believe we are all in this together, as in "We the People," and "Love One Another", then you're a liberal. It's as simple as that.
On the other hand, if you distrust others who don't look like you or believe like you, and you'd really like to impose your will on them or exploit them; if you long to return to some mythical America that existed sometime in the past; if you actually like the old unequal traditions, hierarchies and institutions and wish to conserve them... if you really think white people are superior to brown or black, males are superior to females, and rich are superior to poor, this is the way it has always been and always should be... hello, you are a conservative!
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #3. AMERICA IS A CHRISTIAN COUNTRY
"America has never been a "Christian nation," and never will be. If it ever becomes officially a Christian nation, that's the end of America!
There is no exclusively or specifically Biblical or Christian legal construct or ideology encoded in America's foundational ideals, Declaration of Independence, original Constitution, subsequent Amendments, laws or system of government. If anything whatsoever, the American system is a radical and emphatic rejection of the "divine right of kings" and religion-government entanglement which comprise the core of Abrahamic (Jewish-Christian-Islamic) governmental tradition.
Diametrically opposite of this tradition (thankfully), the United States of America is based upon English common law, as established principally by the Magna Carta (1215), Constitution of 1657, Habeas Corpus Act (1679), and Bill of Rights (1689). These in turn draw not from Biblical governmental philosophy, but from "pagan" Greek democracy and Roman law."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #4. CONSERVATIVES ARE BETTER MANAGERS OF THE ECONOMY!
"There are two essential problems with conservative economic management: they are greedy and they are liars. Putting them in charge of the economy is like hiring a bunch of pirates. If you're one of the pirates, you might do great. If you're not one of the pirates, you are likely to get shanked.
Now remember that when we speak of conservatives managing the economy, we're not talking about social conservatives, or SoCons. They have little or no control over the economy. Here we are talking about professional conservatives... corporate conservatives, the CorpCons. They are the power players on the conservative side. SoCons just stupidly go along for the ride. And that ride is usually extremely bumpy.
The most important thing to consider about CorpCons managing the economy is simply this: they want all governmental policy aimed at aiding and abetting the richest of the rich and the biggest of corporations. Whereas liberal economic policy is aimed at aiding and abetting the middle class. That's it in a nutshell.
The conservative economic ideology of coddling the rich and giant corporations is called "supply-side" economics, AKA "trickle-down." The mantra for this approach is low, low taxes (at least for the rich and corporations) and deregulation of commerce and markets. Historically, supply-side economics provokes cycles of boom and bust. It gave us the Gilded Age and "panics" of the late 1800s. It brought us the "Roaring Twenties" and then the Great Depression. More recently it spawned the Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Bush serial bubbles, plus the Savings & Loan bailout, the 2008 Bush Bank bailout, and the Great Recession that we are still mired in. "Trickle-down" works great for the rich and corporations... not well in the least for the middle class and poor. The famous "trickle-down" that is supposed to "float all boats," never quite seems to come in... even as the rich get richer and corporations reap record profits.
The liberal economic ideology oriented toward supporting the middle class is called "demand-side" economics, or "Keynesian" after economist John Maynard Keynes. This philosophy, put into place during the Depression by Franklin D. Roosevelt, created relative calm in the American economy for nearly five decades, and the largest expansion of a middle class in world history."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #5. CONSERVATIVES SUPPORT THE TROOPS
"Many people who consider themselves conservative volunteer to serve in the military. We thank you for that! And we know you support the troops. It's the professional conservatives who are seriously amiss in this regard... both in terms of their own service and how they treat service personnel when they are in charge of things. But how can that be? Conservatives are forever wearing little shiny flag pins on their lapels and having their photos taken with the troops, and never ever fail to mention the troops in their stump speeches. Unfortunately, it's all just a pose and a sham. Most social conservatives haven't quite caught on to the disservice and disrespect professional conservatives actually render to active duty personnel and veterans.
It can certainly be said that professional conservatives support using and abusing the troops. They support sending the troops to die for various dubious causes that only vaguely have anything to do with defending America, or in some cases, like Iraq, is just plain old bullying and trying to steal natural resources. Otherwise, conservatives have a pathetic record of supporting active duty military personnel, as well as veterans. Since the days of Valley Forge, liberals have traditionally been far more supportive of U.S. military personnel and veterans. Particularly in the 20th and 21st Century, Democrats and liberals have been far and away more supportive and protective of active troops and veterans. The common theme is that conservatives are full of macho bluster. No cool and patient diplomacy for them. No Special Ops approach to belligerents... it's full-on "shock and awe." Besides, there is no end to how much of the taxpayers' money they are willing to spend on military toys, and then can't wait to use them."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #6. CONSERVATIVES SUPPORT SMALL GOVERNMENT
"No one wants a big, bloated, inefficient government, certainly not liberals. Yet the idea of a "small government" is just another big lie and deception. Both corporate and social conservatives really support a very BIG government that has its powerful hands all over your private rights.
Even though most literate conservatives despise Thomas Jefferson, the conservatives' favorite quote from a founding father is Jefferson's quip, "the government that governs least, governs best." Of course, Jefferson said that before he became president and went out and bought the Louisiana Territory without bothering to consult with Congress, more than doubling the size of the USA. It was perhaps the greatest flip-flop in American political history, and quite a propitious one at that. That was 200-something years ago.
Even back then -- when America was only a few hundred miles wide, had less than seven million citizens, had a national economy about the size of one of today's small cities, and the state-of-the-art weapon was a cast-iron cannon - there was never any possibility of the United States of America having a small government. Today we are a country that stretches around the globe, with 300 million citizens, an economy worth trillions of dollars that dominates the world and tens of thousands of American corporations actively seeking ways to get into trouble, as well as a military and weapons such as the world has never known. Whoever sincerely believes that all of this can be managed and controlled by a "small government" should report directly to the nearest psychiatry office.
Of course such believers would all be social conservatives or libertarians. CorpCons know full well that "small government" is another conservative language trick, just like the "free market."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #7. THE "FREE MARKET."
"There is no such thing as the "free market." There never has been, and never will be. It's a fairy tale. Another conservative myth. Pure baloney.
It might be theoretically possible for a totally "free market" to exist if the "market" itself was very tiny, such as a very small town where everyone knew and trusted each other. In anything larger, say a country of 300 million, fuggetaboutit!
The great irony is that the very people who so aggressively promote the idea of a "free market" are the actually the last ones who would actually want such a thing. Those would be the CorpCons and the professional politicians they have bought and paid for. These schemers don't really want a "free market" they want a "rigged market," and that's pretty much what they have. But it can always get even more rigged. And that's what they truly wish for: a world where Big Business is king of the world, and government - the only entity large enough to counter and control Big Business - is small enough to "drown in the bathtub" (at least when it comes to regulating Big Business... otherwise, everybody knows a very Big Government is necessary to rampage around the world promoting Big Business).
So, what professional conservatives actually mean by the "Free Market" is this:
• Corporations should be FREE to do anything they want.
• Corporations should be FREE to sell anything, anywhere.
• Corporations should be FREE to pay little or nothing to their workers.
• Corporations should be FREE to demand utter loyalty from their workers.
• Corporations should be FREE to return no loyalty whatsoever to their workers.
• Corporations should be FREE to extract, exploit, subjugate and monopolize at will.
• Corporations should be FREE from taxes.
• Corporations should be FREE from regulations.
• Corporations should be FREE of responsibility for any damage they do.
• Corporations should be FREE to influence lawmakers.
• Corporations should be FREE to slaughter the competition any way they can.
So now you know. When conservatives politicians and economists talk about the "free market" it is simply code for Big Business Heaven"
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #8. THE MEDIA IS CONTROLLED BY LIBERALS.
"A Gallup survey in 2011 showed that a majority of Americans think the media is biased: with 47% saying it is too liberal, while 13% say it is too conservative. Of these respondents, 78% of conservatives said that the media is too liberal; 53% of liberals say it is too conservative. According to Gallup, ever since 2002 more people have believed the media shows a liberal bias. Who is right?
Well, of course, it depends on what "media" one is referring to. Some media outlets are most definitely skewed one way or the other; others try their hardest to be completely impartial. But taken as a whole, American mainstream media is actually a CONSERVATIVE juggernaut! Yet, there are two points to consider here.
The media is certainly NOT controlled by liberals as conservatives love to complain. Once again, the truth is precisely the opposite of conservative demonizing: the "mainstream" or "mass" media is actually thoroughly and innately dominated by gigantic, very conservative corporations. Let's call it what is is: mainstream/mass media = corporate media. In general, corporations are conservative entities, with a definite bias in support of the conservative stance of low taxes and deregulation. Moreover, almost all media is supported by advertisers, which are most often conservative corporations themselves, likewise having a self-serving bias toward conservative tax and regulation policies. Moreover, both media company and advertising corporations do not want to alienate the significant (and most loyal) share of their viewers/readers/consumers who are socially or politically conservative. Thus corporate media has a triple impetus to skew conservative: their own financial interests, their advertisers' financial interests, and the sensitivities of the conservative (and most loyal) share of their audience. A trend in corporate media is to project that a larger share of their audience leans conservative than liberal, which may not always be entirely true (See Myth No. 2) but is reinforced by the more vociferous feedback they receive from conservative audience members (people complain more when they are angry, and conservatives are generally angrier than liberals). "
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #9. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT THE SOLUTION; IT'S THE PROBLEM
"Governments make mistakes. Government is not always the proper solution, of course, and hardly ever the entire solution, and certainly does manage to botch things up on occasion (especially when Republicans are in charge: this has been known throughout history as the Conservative Self-fulfilling Prophecy). However, the government is very definitely the only entity large and powerful enough to solve many issues, and to stand up to, and stop, abuses of democracy and other American ideals by those who would attempt to dominate, subjugate or exploit the interests of We the People. In this sense, the government, especially the federal government, is, very definitely, the ultimate solution.
Carping about the government has a very long tradition, probably dating back to the very first governments in ancient Mesopotamia. "Damn that Sargon!" likely went a complaint from someone complaining about potholes four thousand years ago.
Before the modern democratic state, someone who was wary of the government would typically be someone disenfranchised: the poor or otherwise downtrodden. The rich and powerful generally loved the government; they were the government! For the disenfranchised it was wise to keep your grumblings about the government rather quiet and subdued,especially back in the day when state and church were conjoined. Complainers could not only be thrown into the dungeon or put to death, they could be condemned to hell for eternity.
This all changed with democracy, first in America, then in France and from there all around the world. Suddenly the age-old tradition of the government being a plaything of a tiny group of rich and powerful was completely flipped. A democratic government was (theoretically) controlled by the People!
You can see how this did not set well with government's former owners. They knew they couldn't stand for this development, and so they came up with two strategies. First and foremost, they try to buy it back. Politicians, judges, officials of all stripes are generally quite amenable to this arrangement, selling off to the highest bidder their time, attention and loyalty. So this strategy can pay immediate and significant dividends.
But it's not enough. Try as they might, the rich and powerful can never seem to fully complete their retaking of the government and conquest of the pesky People. And so a second and complimentary strategy is needed. This involves dividing and conquering. If they can persuade a bare majority of voters to go along with them, they can tighten their grip on the reins of power.
There are many ways to divide. Race and religion are two of the all-time classics; and these are certainly put to good use by the oligarchs in their effort to divide the People. Concurrent with the rise of democracy, however, has come a new tactic: purposively promote distrust of the government so as to lessen its legitimacy, as well as its citizens' sense of affection for, investment in and ownership of the government. A disenchanted and apathetic citizenry that doesn't think government works, and doesn't think their vote counts, will tune out and not exercise their power of control of the government, thus opening a much wider opportunity for the oligarchs to grab control with only a small percentage of voters helping them do it."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #10. WE'RE NO. 1! USA! USA! USA!
"Sure we are... in bullying the world around. We spend more on warmongering than the rest of the world combined, and we lead the world in arms sales. Oh yes, and we're the perennial and virtually unchallenged No. 1 in gun violence. And, not entirely coincidently, we lead the world in percentage of people we throw in jail (though tens of thousands are incarcerated for non-violent petty drug offenses). We have the highest health care costs, the most number of uninsured people, the highest obesity rate, and the highest anti-depressant usage. We're at the tippy-top, by far, nobody even close, in overpaying our corporate CEOs. And we still dominate the Summer Olympics. Whoo-hoo, we're No. 1!
But not where it counts... in quality of life. Despite what many Americans believe, the good old USA is an also-ran when it comes to the most virtuous and livable countries. Check it out:
In overall quality of life, we're No. 31. Hey, wave those pom-poms! We're like the Baskin-Robbins of nations! Totally chillin!
Overall health? No. 39. Boom! Take that Cyprus and Costa Rica! Serbia, we'll take you down next year. Maybe.
Overall education? No. 22. Hey, Slovenia, don't look behind you... we're on your tail.
Wealth per capita? No. 20. What? No style points for level of greed?
Democratic rights and liberties? No. 15. Even with a head-start we're running with the nags.
Peace (security from crime, repression armed conflict)? No. 81. Well, it's hard to be No. 1 in the manufacture, use and sale of weaponry and do well in this category. Hey, priorities are priorities.
Environmental Quality? No. 52. And that's with the EPA. Imagine how much worse we could do without it as conservatives propose!
Now mind you, the USA used to be No. 1 in many of these categories (no, still not peace). That's what people remember from the 1940s, 50s and 60s. That's when the "We're No. 1" chant began. It all began to go to hell when Mr. Reagan's "trickle-down" scheme kicked in. That was when America turned its back on quality and gave the CorpCons a green light to concentrate on quantity... for themselves... and the situation has only worsened over the past 30 years."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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"Conservative Success is based on two things: You forgetting their sorry history, and swallowing down these whoppers!" - by www.conservativemyths.com
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MYTH #1. CONSERVATIVES ARE THE REAL AMERICAN PATRIOTS!
"This concept would be laughable, if it wasn't so tragically perverse. Far from being patriots, conservatives are reckless and dangerous citizens, consistently veering very close to being actual traitors, and they've actually stampeded across that line several times in American history.
Consider the American Revolution. Conservatives were against it! Yes, they were the "Party of No" back then, too. Remember that the definition of a conservative is one who wishes to promote, preserve and/or restore traditional "values," hierarchies and institutions. True to form, in 1776 they wanted no part of breaking away from English tradition and their much beloved British monarchy. They liked being the king's subjects. They were called "Tories", the name still used for the conservative party in England. So conservatives started off on the wrong side of American history, and that's where they've been ever since."
"Out in Texas, meanwhile, conservatives consider themselves Texans first, Americans second (if at all). Recently Texas conservatives, including Governor Rick Perry, have rekindled the periodic Texan whine about seceding from the Union. Meanwhile, up in Alaska, there is the conservative Alaskan Independence Party, which promotes breaking away from the United States. This is the organization that Todd Palin (yes, Sarah's "First Dude") belonged to for seven years. Then we have the conservatives in Wyoming, home of Dick Cheney, who are also pondering a secession plan, complete with their own aircraft carrier that can tool around in Lake Yellowstone and perhaps send sorties out over the increasingly blue state of Colorado. Throughout the South, in Texas, Alaska and Wyoming it's all more macho posing and bluster than considered thought, but, again, it just goes to show how shallow "love of country" for conservatives really is."
"Moreover, in their quixotic quest to wrench power from the liberals since the last time they nearly ruined the country (the 1920s), conservatives have deliberately promoted hatred toward any government that isn't run by them. When they aren't in control, conservatives do everything they can to delegitimize the political and moral authority of those who are. This is a whisker away from high treason. Confucius was just one of the wise men who taught that it would be better for a nation to lose its security and its food than the trust of the people for the government. This is absolutely true. Many a once-powerful nation throughout history disintegrated once its people lost faith in their government. Once the public loses confidence and love for their government, civil strife is sure to follow, and so the Constitutional mandate of promoting the general welfare of the people is thwarted."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #2. AMERICA IS A CONSERVATIVE COUNTRY
America was born in its day as a radically liberal experiment, and has only become progressively more liberal over the past 230 years.
Let's always keep our fundamental definitions of the political ideologies of liberal and conservative in mind:
Liberal: favorable to progress or reform, open minded, tolerant, creative, promoting ever greater liberty, equality, justice and pursuit of happiness; generally opposing aristocratic and unequal hierarchies.
Conservative: fearful of change, inflexible and unimaginative, disposed to conserve traditional hierarchies, institutions and traditions.
It is true that many Americans consider themselves religious, as well as prudent and frugal, and so they may think of themselves as "conservative." So this is how the big myth that America is a conservative country seems to have the ring of truth, and remains popular. But these are not exclusively conservative traits by any stretch. One can be extremely liberal and still be religious, prudent and frugal. The majority of Americans may be a lot more liberal than they think. And as a whole, America is way more liberal than conservative.
Anyone who wishes to expand liberty, equality, justice, pursuit of happiness, and love for one another is a liberal. If you believe in the wisdom of the common man; if you believe we are all in this together, as in "We the People," and "Love One Another", then you're a liberal. It's as simple as that.
On the other hand, if you distrust others who don't look like you or believe like you, and you'd really like to impose your will on them or exploit them; if you long to return to some mythical America that existed sometime in the past; if you actually like the old unequal traditions, hierarchies and institutions and wish to conserve them... if you really think white people are superior to brown or black, males are superior to females, and rich are superior to poor, this is the way it has always been and always should be... hello, you are a conservative!
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #3. AMERICA IS A CHRISTIAN COUNTRY
"America has never been a "Christian nation," and never will be. If it ever becomes officially a Christian nation, that's the end of America!
There is no exclusively or specifically Biblical or Christian legal construct or ideology encoded in America's foundational ideals, Declaration of Independence, original Constitution, subsequent Amendments, laws or system of government. If anything whatsoever, the American system is a radical and emphatic rejection of the "divine right of kings" and religion-government entanglement which comprise the core of Abrahamic (Jewish-Christian-Islamic) governmental tradition.
Diametrically opposite of this tradition (thankfully), the United States of America is based upon English common law, as established principally by the Magna Carta (1215), Constitution of 1657, Habeas Corpus Act (1679), and Bill of Rights (1689). These in turn draw not from Biblical governmental philosophy, but from "pagan" Greek democracy and Roman law."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #4. CONSERVATIVES ARE BETTER MANAGERS OF THE ECONOMY!
"There are two essential problems with conservative economic management: they are greedy and they are liars. Putting them in charge of the economy is like hiring a bunch of pirates. If you're one of the pirates, you might do great. If you're not one of the pirates, you are likely to get shanked.
Now remember that when we speak of conservatives managing the economy, we're not talking about social conservatives, or SoCons. They have little or no control over the economy. Here we are talking about professional conservatives... corporate conservatives, the CorpCons. They are the power players on the conservative side. SoCons just stupidly go along for the ride. And that ride is usually extremely bumpy.
The most important thing to consider about CorpCons managing the economy is simply this: they want all governmental policy aimed at aiding and abetting the richest of the rich and the biggest of corporations. Whereas liberal economic policy is aimed at aiding and abetting the middle class. That's it in a nutshell.
The conservative economic ideology of coddling the rich and giant corporations is called "supply-side" economics, AKA "trickle-down." The mantra for this approach is low, low taxes (at least for the rich and corporations) and deregulation of commerce and markets. Historically, supply-side economics provokes cycles of boom and bust. It gave us the Gilded Age and "panics" of the late 1800s. It brought us the "Roaring Twenties" and then the Great Depression. More recently it spawned the Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Bush serial bubbles, plus the Savings & Loan bailout, the 2008 Bush Bank bailout, and the Great Recession that we are still mired in. "Trickle-down" works great for the rich and corporations... not well in the least for the middle class and poor. The famous "trickle-down" that is supposed to "float all boats," never quite seems to come in... even as the rich get richer and corporations reap record profits.
The liberal economic ideology oriented toward supporting the middle class is called "demand-side" economics, or "Keynesian" after economist John Maynard Keynes. This philosophy, put into place during the Depression by Franklin D. Roosevelt, created relative calm in the American economy for nearly five decades, and the largest expansion of a middle class in world history."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #5. CONSERVATIVES SUPPORT THE TROOPS
"Many people who consider themselves conservative volunteer to serve in the military. We thank you for that! And we know you support the troops. It's the professional conservatives who are seriously amiss in this regard... both in terms of their own service and how they treat service personnel when they are in charge of things. But how can that be? Conservatives are forever wearing little shiny flag pins on their lapels and having their photos taken with the troops, and never ever fail to mention the troops in their stump speeches. Unfortunately, it's all just a pose and a sham. Most social conservatives haven't quite caught on to the disservice and disrespect professional conservatives actually render to active duty personnel and veterans.
It can certainly be said that professional conservatives support using and abusing the troops. They support sending the troops to die for various dubious causes that only vaguely have anything to do with defending America, or in some cases, like Iraq, is just plain old bullying and trying to steal natural resources. Otherwise, conservatives have a pathetic record of supporting active duty military personnel, as well as veterans. Since the days of Valley Forge, liberals have traditionally been far more supportive of U.S. military personnel and veterans. Particularly in the 20th and 21st Century, Democrats and liberals have been far and away more supportive and protective of active troops and veterans. The common theme is that conservatives are full of macho bluster. No cool and patient diplomacy for them. No Special Ops approach to belligerents... it's full-on "shock and awe." Besides, there is no end to how much of the taxpayers' money they are willing to spend on military toys, and then can't wait to use them."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #6. CONSERVATIVES SUPPORT SMALL GOVERNMENT
"No one wants a big, bloated, inefficient government, certainly not liberals. Yet the idea of a "small government" is just another big lie and deception. Both corporate and social conservatives really support a very BIG government that has its powerful hands all over your private rights.
Even though most literate conservatives despise Thomas Jefferson, the conservatives' favorite quote from a founding father is Jefferson's quip, "the government that governs least, governs best." Of course, Jefferson said that before he became president and went out and bought the Louisiana Territory without bothering to consult with Congress, more than doubling the size of the USA. It was perhaps the greatest flip-flop in American political history, and quite a propitious one at that. That was 200-something years ago.
Even back then -- when America was only a few hundred miles wide, had less than seven million citizens, had a national economy about the size of one of today's small cities, and the state-of-the-art weapon was a cast-iron cannon - there was never any possibility of the United States of America having a small government. Today we are a country that stretches around the globe, with 300 million citizens, an economy worth trillions of dollars that dominates the world and tens of thousands of American corporations actively seeking ways to get into trouble, as well as a military and weapons such as the world has never known. Whoever sincerely believes that all of this can be managed and controlled by a "small government" should report directly to the nearest psychiatry office.
Of course such believers would all be social conservatives or libertarians. CorpCons know full well that "small government" is another conservative language trick, just like the "free market."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #7. THE "FREE MARKET."
"There is no such thing as the "free market." There never has been, and never will be. It's a fairy tale. Another conservative myth. Pure baloney.
It might be theoretically possible for a totally "free market" to exist if the "market" itself was very tiny, such as a very small town where everyone knew and trusted each other. In anything larger, say a country of 300 million, fuggetaboutit!
The great irony is that the very people who so aggressively promote the idea of a "free market" are the actually the last ones who would actually want such a thing. Those would be the CorpCons and the professional politicians they have bought and paid for. These schemers don't really want a "free market" they want a "rigged market," and that's pretty much what they have. But it can always get even more rigged. And that's what they truly wish for: a world where Big Business is king of the world, and government - the only entity large enough to counter and control Big Business - is small enough to "drown in the bathtub" (at least when it comes to regulating Big Business... otherwise, everybody knows a very Big Government is necessary to rampage around the world promoting Big Business).
So, what professional conservatives actually mean by the "Free Market" is this:
• Corporations should be FREE to do anything they want.
• Corporations should be FREE to sell anything, anywhere.
• Corporations should be FREE to pay little or nothing to their workers.
• Corporations should be FREE to demand utter loyalty from their workers.
• Corporations should be FREE to return no loyalty whatsoever to their workers.
• Corporations should be FREE to extract, exploit, subjugate and monopolize at will.
• Corporations should be FREE from taxes.
• Corporations should be FREE from regulations.
• Corporations should be FREE of responsibility for any damage they do.
• Corporations should be FREE to influence lawmakers.
• Corporations should be FREE to slaughter the competition any way they can.
So now you know. When conservatives politicians and economists talk about the "free market" it is simply code for Big Business Heaven"
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #8. THE MEDIA IS CONTROLLED BY LIBERALS.
"A Gallup survey in 2011 showed that a majority of Americans think the media is biased: with 47% saying it is too liberal, while 13% say it is too conservative. Of these respondents, 78% of conservatives said that the media is too liberal; 53% of liberals say it is too conservative. According to Gallup, ever since 2002 more people have believed the media shows a liberal bias. Who is right?
Well, of course, it depends on what "media" one is referring to. Some media outlets are most definitely skewed one way or the other; others try their hardest to be completely impartial. But taken as a whole, American mainstream media is actually a CONSERVATIVE juggernaut! Yet, there are two points to consider here.
The media is certainly NOT controlled by liberals as conservatives love to complain. Once again, the truth is precisely the opposite of conservative demonizing: the "mainstream" or "mass" media is actually thoroughly and innately dominated by gigantic, very conservative corporations. Let's call it what is is: mainstream/mass media = corporate media. In general, corporations are conservative entities, with a definite bias in support of the conservative stance of low taxes and deregulation. Moreover, almost all media is supported by advertisers, which are most often conservative corporations themselves, likewise having a self-serving bias toward conservative tax and regulation policies. Moreover, both media company and advertising corporations do not want to alienate the significant (and most loyal) share of their viewers/readers/consumers who are socially or politically conservative. Thus corporate media has a triple impetus to skew conservative: their own financial interests, their advertisers' financial interests, and the sensitivities of the conservative (and most loyal) share of their audience. A trend in corporate media is to project that a larger share of their audience leans conservative than liberal, which may not always be entirely true (See Myth No. 2) but is reinforced by the more vociferous feedback they receive from conservative audience members (people complain more when they are angry, and conservatives are generally angrier than liberals). "
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #9. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT THE SOLUTION; IT'S THE PROBLEM
"Governments make mistakes. Government is not always the proper solution, of course, and hardly ever the entire solution, and certainly does manage to botch things up on occasion (especially when Republicans are in charge: this has been known throughout history as the Conservative Self-fulfilling Prophecy). However, the government is very definitely the only entity large and powerful enough to solve many issues, and to stand up to, and stop, abuses of democracy and other American ideals by those who would attempt to dominate, subjugate or exploit the interests of We the People. In this sense, the government, especially the federal government, is, very definitely, the ultimate solution.
Carping about the government has a very long tradition, probably dating back to the very first governments in ancient Mesopotamia. "Damn that Sargon!" likely went a complaint from someone complaining about potholes four thousand years ago.
Before the modern democratic state, someone who was wary of the government would typically be someone disenfranchised: the poor or otherwise downtrodden. The rich and powerful generally loved the government; they were the government! For the disenfranchised it was wise to keep your grumblings about the government rather quiet and subdued,especially back in the day when state and church were conjoined. Complainers could not only be thrown into the dungeon or put to death, they could be condemned to hell for eternity.
This all changed with democracy, first in America, then in France and from there all around the world. Suddenly the age-old tradition of the government being a plaything of a tiny group of rich and powerful was completely flipped. A democratic government was (theoretically) controlled by the People!
You can see how this did not set well with government's former owners. They knew they couldn't stand for this development, and so they came up with two strategies. First and foremost, they try to buy it back. Politicians, judges, officials of all stripes are generally quite amenable to this arrangement, selling off to the highest bidder their time, attention and loyalty. So this strategy can pay immediate and significant dividends.
But it's not enough. Try as they might, the rich and powerful can never seem to fully complete their retaking of the government and conquest of the pesky People. And so a second and complimentary strategy is needed. This involves dividing and conquering. If they can persuade a bare majority of voters to go along with them, they can tighten their grip on the reins of power.
There are many ways to divide. Race and religion are two of the all-time classics; and these are certainly put to good use by the oligarchs in their effort to divide the People. Concurrent with the rise of democracy, however, has come a new tactic: purposively promote distrust of the government so as to lessen its legitimacy, as well as its citizens' sense of affection for, investment in and ownership of the government. A disenchanted and apathetic citizenry that doesn't think government works, and doesn't think their vote counts, will tune out and not exercise their power of control of the government, thus opening a much wider opportunity for the oligarchs to grab control with only a small percentage of voters helping them do it."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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MYTH #10. WE'RE NO. 1! USA! USA! USA!
"Sure we are... in bullying the world around. We spend more on warmongering than the rest of the world combined, and we lead the world in arms sales. Oh yes, and we're the perennial and virtually unchallenged No. 1 in gun violence. And, not entirely coincidently, we lead the world in percentage of people we throw in jail (though tens of thousands are incarcerated for non-violent petty drug offenses). We have the highest health care costs, the most number of uninsured people, the highest obesity rate, and the highest anti-depressant usage. We're at the tippy-top, by far, nobody even close, in overpaying our corporate CEOs. And we still dominate the Summer Olympics. Whoo-hoo, we're No. 1!
But not where it counts... in quality of life. Despite what many Americans believe, the good old USA is an also-ran when it comes to the most virtuous and livable countries. Check it out:
In overall quality of life, we're No. 31. Hey, wave those pom-poms! We're like the Baskin-Robbins of nations! Totally chillin!
Overall health? No. 39. Boom! Take that Cyprus and Costa Rica! Serbia, we'll take you down next year. Maybe.
Overall education? No. 22. Hey, Slovenia, don't look behind you... we're on your tail.
Wealth per capita? No. 20. What? No style points for level of greed?
Democratic rights and liberties? No. 15. Even with a head-start we're running with the nags.
Peace (security from crime, repression armed conflict)? No. 81. Well, it's hard to be No. 1 in the manufacture, use and sale of weaponry and do well in this category. Hey, priorities are priorities.
Environmental Quality? No. 52. And that's with the EPA. Imagine how much worse we could do without it as conservatives propose!
Now mind you, the USA used to be No. 1 in many of these categories (no, still not peace). That's what people remember from the 1940s, 50s and 60s. That's when the "We're No. 1" chant began. It all began to go to hell when Mr. Reagan's "trickle-down" scheme kicked in. That was when America turned its back on quality and gave the CorpCons a green light to concentrate on quantity... for themselves... and the situation has only worsened over the past 30 years."
http://www.conservativemyths.com/10myths.html
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