“Well Lee, for some reason there has been a movement towards conservatism, and often a movement to the right of conservatism to a reactionary or neo-conservative position. Rather than conserving the values that have been commonly held, some political and religious leaders are looking to values of the past which they find superior. This seems to be especially true in religious belief. Many of us think that most people have left God’s word behind and have looked for the easier self-centered life. Pope John Paul the Second, Pope Benedict the Sixteenth, George W. Bush in the United States and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran, not to mention Osama bin Ladin, and then ISIK have championed earlier visions of their religions as the salvation of the world.
“Several elected African presidents have moved backward toward absolute monarchy. Drug lords, and some major companies, have cast ethics aside in an amoral laissez faire approach to making fortunes. All these are movements look back to earlier religious beliefs or back to primitive human selfishness. Many of us feel that seeking pleasure now is the big problem with society. That seems to be the reason that so many people are moving into more fundamental religions, into Islam, ‘born again’ evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics like me.
“Of course you can’t put religious leaders in the same camp with drug lords and unethical business or political leaders. We are going back to truth and seeking a higher level of living through God’s inspiration. They are going back to the primitive aspect of savage human nature. As religious leaders we want to rise above that base level of human nature.
What Con?”
“But Ray, look at your reactionary religious leaders. Bin Ladin attacked both Moslem and non-Moslem regimes that he thought were antagonistic to his beliefs. Bush attacked an Islamic country, ostensibly to rid them of a sadistic dictator and to spread democracy. But he probably actually had the economic and political goals of controlling more oil and obtaining military bases in the Mid-East. Ahmadinejad ran for president of Iran as an idealist, but once elected he quickly moved to put Iran on a path toward allegiance to the Shiite messiah, Mahdi. Some think that he believed himself to be a representative of the Mahdi and is preparing for
the second coming of the 12th imam. He clearly hoped to establish a more rigid Islamic
regime. Along this line he fired a number of experienced diplomats and bank directors. He wanted all the power of a Medieval religious king. While he was elected democratically, democracy was not one of his goals for his country. Chet, you seem to be bursting with a comment or question.”
“Right Con. Fellas, I get the point that you are a political galaxy. But I’d like to get a better feeling of where you guys are coming from. Ray, since you have been designated as the group’s resident reactionary, why do you feel that Wreck gave you that label?”
“Don’t know Chet, I think I’m the most progressive of the group. What could be more progressive than trying to know God and helping people to get to heaven? But I suppose that for the last 2000 years the Christians have had this goal. Of course the Jews had that vision 3,000 years ago and the Muslims have had it for 1500 years. So by today’s standards in some parts of the world I am reacting back to where we had been.”
“I see Ray. I guess we all think we’re progressive since we all think we are right! What about you Concannon. What makes you a conservative?”
“Well as I see it, liberty is the most important right that a government can grant. Without real freedom good things don’t happen. Religions can’t flourish, science can’t reach its potentials for providing us knowledge, and business can’t expand to bring more goods and services to more people. This means that taxes should be as low as possible while providing the means by which society can progress. And the progress of society is based on an equality of educational opportunity. Why is your face so screwed up Lee. Don’t you like the idea of equality of educational opportunity?”
“Con, you are assuming that educational opportunity is a conservative idea. It’s a cornerstone of our liberal agenda. I see “equality” as basic to my liberal views.”
‘I agree, Lee. I think that particularly in domestic issues we conservatives lean to liberty while you liberals lean towards equality. But we both agree that equal educational opportunity is essential. The difference is that we conservatives are more likely to allow people the freedom to achieve after they have experienced as much education as they like, while you liberals want to keep equalizing them. Liberty will result in longer term inequalities based on people’s educations, work ethics, goals, occupations, et cetera. You are for a graduated income tax to pull back the high wage earners toward the bottom. We conservatives are more likely to want a sales tax or a value added tax, and perhaps luxury taxes on buying expensive items like furs and Ferraris.”
“I see your point but I disagree with your goals. As liberals we do want more equalitarian treatment for all people. A gang member shot in a street war is just as much entitled to emergency care treatment and hospitalization as a school teacher who has had a heart attack. This means that we need higher taxes to provide more extensive medical services than you conservatives would want.”
“Possibly. We disagree on a lot of things but we agree on a lot too. For example we both want effective Social Security. You liberals want it all to be handled by the government. We conservatives think that people would be more able to end up with a better retirement if they handled the same pension contributions themselves. And some people avoid the issue and just say ‘have more babies’ so that someone will take care of society’s financial needs.
“What has happened, of course, is that the existing system, the liberal system, is supposed to give a guaranteed amount to everyone based on their years of contributions and their salaries. But tax laws have allowed a more conservative approach in which you can contribute, tax free, to your own retirement plan. So in terms of pensions we have both the conservative and the liberal ideas at work. The realities are that there are good ideas on both the left and the right and most people are a little bit liberal and a little bit conservative. Lee, you just have more of your ideas on the left side of the middle and I have more of mine on the right.”
“But Con don’t you think religion is a factor in how we believe?”
“I’m not particularly religious but most conservatives are, because religion like liberty, is a value that most want to conserve. But many religious ideas are quite liberal, so a majority of liberals in this country are also religious. It just happens that some people on the left, like Karl Marx, are atheists. But you have atheists on the conservative side too! You also have saints on both sides of the aisle. I think we could put Joan of Arc on the right and Mother Theresa on the left. And when they make Pope Benedict a saint we’ll have a reactionary saint!”
“Well guys, I hope this upcoming trip gives us a chance for some heavy discussions. And I think we’ll meet some people who will shake us up intellectually. As you know I am deeply concerned with population reduction and making a better life for all children. So that will be a major concern of mine as we travel.”
“I’m with you Wreck. But how about filling us in on what you see as the background of the problem. We should start with some basic information.”