This series
will continue over the next ten days and consist of ten blog postings.
For numerous
personal reasons, I’ve had to limit this blog to weekly posts. However, I don’t want
to spend the next ten weeks posting on one subject and something tells me I
can’t keep readers in suspense that long anyway.
I’ve wanted
to do this series for some time; but I have intentionally waited until an
election year and a time when I thought people were ready for it. Romney will
be the Republican nominee for President. The primary season is officially over and
the outcome is clear. Romney started running against Obama a short time ago.
Now seems a good time for this series.
Other
countries have multiple political parties. In this country, we have two,
Republicans and Democrats. The other parties are too small to merit attention.
Our two-party
system developed soon after our country was founded. We’ve had the same two
parties since the Civil War. Positions on all major issues, and most minor
issues, have been staked out by both parties. The positions are on opposite
ends from each other. If parties share views on an issue, then it is no longer
an issue.
Defining
“conservative” and “liberal” are a little harder. Definitions change over time.
History often determines what the terms mean.
What was considered liberal ten years ago may now be considered
conservative.
Also, the
terms can differ according to subject area. For example, they have different
meanings in math than they do in politics.
I’m going to
use the terms according to what they mean right now, in today’s political
environment. In general, Democrats are liberal and Republicans are
conservative.
I suspect
someone will comment on this series and try and hit me with the fact that
Joseph Smith was a Democrat. I believe he was; but that fact is irrelevant now,
as is the fact that most Mormons used to be Democrats.
Most Mormons
are conservative Republicans now, and likely to remain so.
Continue reading at the original source →