Mindset

Conservatism is a mindset, most of these people who talk about being conservatives know nothing about conservation. I speak of John McCain, married to one of the world's richest women, whose father and grandfather were admirals, enough clout to get into the naval academy, who never knew what it was to want for anything. I speak of the Bushes, both 41 and 43, one of the richest families in America. I speak of the Rockefeller, the Buckleys, the Quayles, and I could name many others, these rich Republicans, like many rich Democrats, have never known the life which most of us live, the constant struggle to get through school and survival afterward.

From the time I was a small child, I had a small pillbox in which I saved my money. I have saved, been conservative every day of my life. As far as I can remember, I have never bought anything unless it was on a sales special. In spite of working hard, behaving myself and taking advantage of every opportunity, depending on the mercy of God. Giving my sight, which is next to life itself in importance, the person in prison's vote counts just as much as mine. 30% of all prisoners are illegal, they live better than I do. Prisoners get much better care than veterans, even 100% disabled veterans, prisoners, who have never contributed anything to this country. So I am told by people who work there, they eat better, live better than most hard working, tax-paying, god-fearing citizens. Prisoners know nothing of conservatism, theirs is truly a “me” generation.

With entitlements and retirement and other situations, your government owes 108 trillion dollars to citizen. 60% of all citizens get a government check of one form or another: military and civil-service retirements, welfare and social service. According to hundreds of pages of the Obama healthcare legislation within three years of enactment, every citizen will have a microchip detailing all healthcare history. The ethics of the healthcare professionals, the ethics of the insurance providers, the ethics of the common man, will be a thing of the past, as all play the necessary games to get their entitlement, healthcare. We think drug pushers are bad now...just wait for both legal and illegal drug pushing, conservation by way of holistic care will be a thing of the past.

Many of today's citizens use “home remedies”, recently, I was at lunch with two college officials, both ordered “diet-drinks”. I went into my usual “learned” routine about the dangers of aspartame, the most toxic substance to man (sic). I said, “put a nail in your glass and see how fast the diet drink will dissolve it, or a piece of raw meat.” Neither could be bothered, neither cared, most Americans would stay out of doctor's offices if they were conservative. Conservation is a mindset, conserving in your eating, drinking, spending, everything.

I have written several times that nothing will straighten out this country like a good (Great) depression. I lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s-1940s, those who lived through these times, like my parents and grandparents, never forgot. The people I knew, who witnessed it, talked about it until the day they died. When you have seen starving people, starving farm animals, it makes an unforgettable impression. God wanted me to see the physical depression of the rest of the world. Countries that have survived in spite of everything. There is only one country in the world where there are fat people, only America has an obese population...only America has a diabetic population. In China, even the tourists who got the best were always still hungry when leaving the table. I have traveled to most of the countries in Africa, the bloated, hungry children of Africa will haunt me until my death. The only thing more haunting, the killing of innocent children through abortion in this country. And, we are stupid enough, even those sitting on church pews to think that God is not aware of these things.

Once, in Thailand, I saw an old man give some food to some hungry children on the street. Other children, also hungry, took him down in the street, searching his clothing for food. I am told that in the public schools of America, schools where food is paid for by tax dollars, most of the food is thrown in the garbage because most children are so finicky about their eating. This old, totally blind veteran, never throws away any food. I have witnessed too many hungry people around the world. Most of the world's population would be glad to eat from our garbage cans. Now, there are place in the world, big cities like Paris, London, Tokyo where rich people, mostly politicians, live well in the dining areas of international hotels. Just as in Washington DC, or the wall street areas of NYC, or the Hollywood areas of Los Angeles. The world's politicians, along with their lobbyist friends, the rich and famous live “high on the hog”.

Those who talk of conservatism, know nothing about conservatism, conservatism is a mindset, permeating your entire being. You do not throw anything away, you turn off the water when brushing your teeth, you turn bottle upside down to make sure you have gotten everything out of them. There is a use and need for everything, you brush your clothing, polish your shoes, drive your car correctly. I know people who spend more money on the food for their dog or cat, than this totally blind, 100% disabled veteran spends on food for himself. Do you see anything wrong with that picture?

Concern, morality, discipline, are lost words in most vocabularies. In this “me” generation, most are only interested in what happens to them. Over and over, in the Great Depression, people would come to my parent's door, “Miss Sally, do you have any scraps of food, my children are starving.” I remember so well, my mother giving me a brown paper bag, “Thomas, go to the 'potato hill' and get some potatoes.” She would go to the “smoke house”, get some old bones, all the meat had been cut from them, and give it to them for the making of soup. Often, in a large washpot, from corn in the corn crib, she would make a hominy to give to the neighbors. There was only cottonseed for the cow to eat...before the cow was sold in order to pay taxes on the land. It took every dime everyone could make, just to pay taxes on the land. Do you people not see the same thing happening again? These same politicians already have your lands and homes appraised, all they have to do is raise the taxes from these appraisals in order to pay the ne'er do wells, who keep them in office. It was learned long ago, that conservatives pay the price for the largess of politicians, who use your tax dollars to buy their votes. Many call themselves conservatives, who in their mind are only conservative when it comes to their own welfare.