For months now, maybe even up to a year, I have challenged various people to define Conservatisim. I don’t mean a dictionary definition but what Conservatism means to them. To date I have received exactly ZERO responses. Nobody wants to define Conservatism. In fact, folks run from the question. They dodge the question with such finesse that any Washington politician would be proud.
What the hell are we fighting for, folks? Conservatism? What is Conservatism?
Over the weekend I had a former Republican candidate tell his former primary opponnet that they were proud to call each other friend because they are both Conservatives. This despite the fact that I just waged war with the primary opponnet over the difference between a Tax and Spend methodology for Katy ISD versus a more fiscally responsible methodology. The primary opponnet was on the side of Tax and Spend. I was on the side of fiscally responsible. Up until this point, I thought fiscally responsible spending and not out of control deficit spending was Conservatism. However, I am apparently wrong as Katy, supposedly the most Conservative area of Harris County, is full of self proclaimed Tax and Spend Conservatives. Can those two phrases even go together?
What is Conservatism? What is the ultimate goal here?
Let’s go back to my Katy ISD School Bond fight. It’s a good example. Senator Dan Patrick claims to be the most Conservative person in the Texas Senate. So surely, Senator Patrick would see that Katy ISD’s Tax and Spend policy was wrong. Nope. Senator Patrick refused to take a position on the matter. Uh?
What about my own State Senator, Senator Joan Huffman? I remember when she was campaigning everyone told me that she was the only true Conservative in the race. Surely, she would agree with me that Tax and Spend policies are contrary to Conservatism. Nope. Refused to take a position on the matter. Remarkable.
Back to Bill Callegari. I’ve spoken to Mr. Callegari. He certainly seems to be pretty Conservative to me. He as a pretty good Conservative record in the Texas House of Representatives. What was his feelings on Katy ISD’s Tax and Spend policies. He wouldn’t endorse the issue but he would state that he planned to vote for it. Seriously?
John Zerwas. Everyone tells me that Representative John Zerwas is Conservative. I was absolutely bound to find an Conservative ally there. No. No position.
My final option, Senator Glenn Hegar. Conservative record. Conservative cheerleaders. There had to be at least one Conservative in the Katy area that would agree that Tax and Spend policies did not align with Conservatism. Nope. No position.
WHAT THE HELL IS CONSERVATISM? I DON’T KNOW WHAT I AM FIGHTING FOR ANYMORE?
So what exactly am I supposed to tell Bill Callegari about the Speaker of the Texas House. Hell, Joe Strauss’ Conservative record is just as good as any of the other Tax and Spend Conservatives I’ve run into lately? Let’s look at Warren Chisum’s record. Yeah, it looks pretty damn good. I wonder how either of these men would feel about School District Tax and Spend policies. They’d probably take the ever popular no position position.
What’s the problem here?
Nobody will define what Conservatism is. Without a standard to hold this crap up to what are we to do?
All this leads me up to my challenge for the myriad of Tea Parties, Conservative groups, Republicans, etc. Define Conservatism. Give me a hard and fast standard to compare all this crap to. Because right now I can only conclude that Tax and Spend policies must be Conservative values. And if that’s the case what is the difference between a Liberal and a Conservative? And if we don’t know what the difference between a Liberal and a Conservative is, well we are just as lost as we were before we started this fight.
What are we fighting for? I don’t know anymore. And until I know what I am fighting for and who I am fighting for I’m not wasting any more blood, sweat, tears and time on this.
James Yaklin is the Harris County Republican Party Precinct Chair for Precinct 547 in Katy. He helped to lead the fight against the latest Katy ISD bond issue, which narrowly passed on November 2nd.
Website: Yaklin.net