Posted by
Zorro on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 12:42:55 PM
The defensive position that conservatives take on the debates on poverty makes them sitting ducks. Conservatives need to take an offensive stance on this issue, or our defeat is sure. The current debate is structured as follows:
Liberals: "We should take more money from the rich to provide for the poor."
Conservatives: "No we shouldn't, and here are the reasons:"
While those reasons are numerous and well thought out, the very structure of this argument ensures that conservatives will lose the battle to prevent a moderate socialist system from dominating America's future. Most people, liberals, moderates, and undecided's alike have hear:
"Liberals: "We should take more money from the rich to provide for the poor."
Conservatives: "No we shouldn't, and blah blah blah blah:"
Every "no we shouldn't" is another touchdown for liberalism. Conservatives need to take the initiative from the liberals and stop playing a defensive game. It is this defensive game that makes conservatives looking like anti-poor curmudgeons. Conservatives should stop merely answering liberal initiatives and should spend their energy advancing their own initiative. What is their initiative? It is to do everything possible to encourage the most fruitful heirarchy of aid for the poor. Conservatives need to articulate at every opportunity that the proper order of responsibility for helping the poor is as follows:
1. The poor themselves.
2. Their immediate families.
3. Their extended families.
4. Their religions, other people's religions, or private charity in general.
5. Their local governments.
6. National government.
Inasmuch as conservatives keep saying "no" to liberal plans to help the poor, no matter how misbegotten those plans are, they are handing victories to socialism. They must aggressively promote their own plans to succeed.