Question Time

Today, I try something new.  I've been entertaining this idea in my head and this seems as good a time as any to start it.

You see, I want to answer your questions.  Not that I claim to be an expert, to be brilliant, or even have much in the way of experience.  Often, I'll answer with my initial gut reaction.  Largely, this is just an exercise to keep myself thinking and writing.  With any luck (and maybe some discernment from God), I'll also answer your questions satisfactorily and maybe give you a little food for thought.  With that, let's kick things off.
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"Have we shifted as a nation? Are we no longer center right? Have the parties shifted?" - from @MikeHancho7

I will tell you right off the bat, this is a not an easy question.  Things like this are infinitely more complex than these simple concepts they're often boiled down to.  I feel my answer will likewise be too simplistic for the reality.

To answer your question...I believe the president's (and progressivism's) success in the past election is borne as much out of the slow cultural and moral decay of the past forty years as much as their ability to drum up support.  Despite some of us in the country being fully aware of the president's empty rhetoric, many in the country are not and are easily swayed by the flashiness of the president.  It may not be deserved, but praise is still thrown his way constantly.  So for right now, no, the country has not "shifted."  Not yet.  There is still a big, persuadable middle.  However, that middle will shrink (as it slowly has been) unless we work to reverse course.

As for the parties...no.  They've been like this for years.  The politicians (all of them) are just less willing to hide their statist inclinations.


"Is it possible for the virtues of frugality and honor to ever regain their place in the hearts and minds of this nation?" - via @netmarcos

Theoretically, yes.  However, it will require two things: hard work and, even more importantly, patience.  Liberalism didn't hit our society all at once.  It crept in slowly, subverting traditional values without us really realizing it.  We gave ground because the pushes were otherwise so imperceptible.  And now here we are.

That said, I fear reality may mean we've already slipped too far.  Some aspects of our culture are corrupted so deeply, that people no longer recognize right and wrong.  Even if we manage to affect a general shift back to honor and frugality, dishonorable things will still be seen as acceptable in the eyes many.  Additionally, the nation is still on course to oblivion, particularly after November, which means that the fight for honor will grow harder by the day.  It doesn't mean we give up the fight, of course.
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Now, my intention with this is really to make it a little more lighthearted and mix up the content on the blog.  I most certainly don't mind answering serious questions, but less serious ones are fine too.  Keep in mind, the seriousness of a particular answer will be proportional to the seriousness of the question that is asked.  So I will answer questions like the ones above completely seriously.  If someone asks me for dating advice, I'm liable to give bad advice.  If someone asks me why it burns when they pee, I'm likely to make a crack about that prostitute from last week.  You get the point; this can be both serious and comedic.

You can leave questions for me on my Twitter account (@OnConservatism) or on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/OnConservatism).

So...get askin'!