Saturday, April 17, 2010

Why Would a Parent or Grandparent Choose "Progressivism"?

I'm in a deep "I miss my grandkids" funk today.  Really, everything I do revolves around them somehow.  They certainly are central to how I view the world and politics. 

I absolutely believe that there are plenty of "progressive" grandparents out there who love their grandchildren as much as I love mine.  Why are we so different?  Why are they so willing to mortgage their grandchildren's future?  Do they believe that somehow, the deficits won't impact their grandchildren or that the impact won't be negative?

I just don't understand a parent or grandparent who can look at a child knowing that the decisions that we make today will affect that child's entire future, and their attitude is, "they'll get used to it."  Get used to diminished personal freedoms?  Get used to dependency on the government?

I look at my daughter, who is so far away, and I am proud that she has the tools and the freedom to be her own person.  How do progressive parents justify restricting their own children's choices for the benefit of others?  Progressive policies bring everyone down to a governmentally sanctioned level.  Conservative policies give each person the ability to rise above their circumstances.  It is the difference between "be all that you can be" and "be all that you can get by with."  Who chooses the latter for their children and grandchildren when they could choose the former? 

So, I though I miss them dearly, and I won't be getting over it, I'm proud of all those who sacrificed in the past so that my daughter has the choice of how to live her life and raise her children, no matter where it takes them.  For my part, I promise to whatever I can to ensure that my grandchildren inherit a country that provides them with the opportunities of their own making.  Wherever it takes them.

2 comments:

RightKlik said...

Very good questions. I wish I could give answers. Maybe progressives really don't believe in freedom.

Carol said...

Or at least freedom as we know it. Maybe they think that freedom is too difficult or too messy for their children. Freedom is certainly difficult and messy but it is the challenge, the opportunity and the hope that make freedom worthwhile.

I believe that progressives are vain. They believe that "doing for others" makes them good people. They don't realize, in their rush to stoke their egos, that they rob individuals of so much more than they give.

Progressivism is not a sum-zero gain for society-it is a net loss. The result is that progressives are selfish, not selfless.