It’s true that self-reliance should be encouraged but there should always be a safety net for those who might fall.

Traditional values are generally good, but which ones in particular and whose traditions? I would be willing to modify my list of traditions if they were superseded by better values; manners and honour can stay but sexism is out. The right to bear arms in America is a tradition that the English mostly don’t need.

The size of government, that’s an interesting one; as populations grow and life becomes more complicated, so government naturally grows anyway in the same way that laws expand. James Madison, himself an anti-federalist, even said something along the lines that “if men were angels there would be no need for government”. Were government to better govern itself then there might be a case to trust it more.

Moral equivalency and the concept of the “moral hazard” again, have far-reaching implications and there are pros and cons to both “sides”.

The opportunity to succeed is good but the flip is failure; it depends how far into failure people are allowed to fall and that’s the issue which conservatism seems to have failed to address since the mid 1970s as the gap between rich and poor has increased.

Conversely the allowance for people to depend on the state is at the other end of the spectrum, so this still indicates a polarisation in ideals.

I suspect roscopico is a conservative? My other would be a liberal and I still see my position as a moderate or centrist.

Interesting interjection, roscopico, thank you for your input.

The conservatives offer hard work and the opportunity to succeed or fail.
The liberals offer class envy as an excuse create a permanently dependent electorate.

Respectfully,
roscopico

download the daily show and the colbert report via torrents for that little bit of extra “fuck you”