The Conservative Take, by Steve Rathje
Given the current rhetoric in Republican presidential politics, it would appear as though you're now the bad guy if you’ve taken a risk, formed a business; achieved success; followed the rules; paid your taxes; and actually done something with your life. If that’s truly the case, wouldn’t the opposite then hold true for what one’s competition finds to be a satisfactory alternative... to close your business; fire your employees; send all the jobs to China; become a lawyer, academic or professional politician; be delinquent on your taxes and sip tea while sitting on a loveseat with those you disagree with?
Sounds a little ridiculous, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, I believe it’s more true than not and I don’t think this trend is exclusive to presidential campaigns either, as class/business warfare against those that have achieved success seems to be running rampant throughout Republican primaries. Those that apply it, must in their own minds feel they’ve been forced to, simply because their résumé doesn’t appear to qualify them for the task at hand and therefore demonizing their opponent is the only way they can create enough doubt in the eyes of the voter to get themselves elected.
When was the last time you heard a lawyer, an academic, or a professional politician speak from experience to what needs to be done when a company finds it difficult to remain in business, let alone make payroll and compete in the market place? When was the last time you heard any of the three offer a single solitary solution based on personal experience rather than what they happened to read from a book, learn from a seminar, or pick up on FOX News? Rather than utilize their own experiences and talents to draw attention to themselves and their leadership abilities, they choose to use the qualifications of their opponents to not only demonize them, but equalize and justify that which they lack in comparison.
Let’s take for example the company I mentioned in my opening statement that’s finding it hard to make payroll. The lawyer, the academic and the professional politician, out of ignorance choose to freeze wages and benefits and make across the board cuts in a feeble attempt to fix what’s broken. The qualified/experienced individual on the other hand, knows full well that freezing accomplishes nothing, and that wages and benefits have to be cut immediately while analyzing the necessity of the current labor force. All departments ‘have to’ participate with only unnecessary personnel from each department receiving a furlough. Duties ‘have to’ be combined wherever possible. Feasibility studies ‘have to’ be made to determine internal costs vs. subcontracted ones. Budgets ‘have to’ be brought inline with revisions being made, and prices ‘have to’ be cut to stimulate sales in order to boost profits and become economically solvent again.
Sadly enough, politicians and would-be politicians take great pride in pointing toward successful business owners and what they’ve accomplished when attempting to explain the merits of their conservative positions, of free enterprise and capitalism. Neither takes any issue in soliciting contributions from the successful either, but place that successful, experienced business person in a position to challenge them, their perceived authority and the power they seek; it then becomes very apparent as to what their true motives are and what drives them. I find it extremely disingenuous for a self proclaimed, would-be, so-called conservative to challenge the Democrat party when it comes to jobs and the economy while having absolutely no experience in providing a remedy themselves, let alone the demonization of those that do.
If this is truly is what being a Republican means to some, I couldn’t disagree more, because being a Republican isn’t about what we are, it’s about who we are. Once we compromise who we are, the very foundation on which we stand begins to crumble. We as true Republicans, Conservatives, Constitutional Patriots, don’t demonize free enterprise, we embrace it, we don’t criminalize success, we encourage it and we don’t make keeping more of what we earn sound un-American!
Whether it’s the public sector or the private sector, life experience and success really do matter. Stop demonizing conservatives that have worked hard to achieve it, and instead start encouraging, rewarding, and thanking them for their ability to do so.
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