A conservative believes that our inalienable rights do not include housing, healthcare or Hummers.
A conservative believes that our inalienable rights DO include the pursuit of happiness. That means it is guaranteed to no one.
A conservative believes that those who pursue happiness and find it have a right to not be penalized for that success.
A conservative believes that there are no protections against the hardship and heartache of failure. We believe that the right to fail is just as important as the chance to succeed and that those who do fail learn essential lessons that will help them the next time around.
A conservative believes in personal responsibility and accepts the consequences for his or her words and actions.
A conservative believes that real compassion can't be found in any government program.
A conservative believes that each of us has a duty to take care of our neighbors. It was private individuals, companies and congregations that sent water, blankets and supplies to New Orleans far before the government ever set foot there.
A conservative believes that family is the cornerstone of our society and that people have a right to manage their family any way they see fit, so long as it's not criminal. We are far more attuned to our family's needs than some faceless, soulless government program.
A conservative believes that people have a right to worship the God of their understanding. We also believe that people do not have the right to jam their version of God (or no God) down anybody else's throat.
A conservative believes that people go to the movies to be entertained and to church to be preached to, not the other way around.
A conservative believes that debt creates unhealthy relationships. Everyone, from the government on down, should live within their means and strive for financial independence.
A conservative believes that a child's education is the responsibility of the parents, not the government.
A conservative believes that every human being has a right to life, from conception to death.
A conservative believes in the smallest government you can get without anarchy. We know our history: The larger a government gets, the harder it will fall.
Those are the things a conservative believes in, and they're the things that I believe in. Now, if only I could find a candidate to match.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
End of an Era
I tend to have delusion of grandeur from time to time so I like to call my stages of life eras and today signals the end of quite a few eras in my life.
We are leaving for Indiana tonight, as many of you know, and with this move life will change quite a bit.
Friday will signal the end of my years of summer breaks as Monday I become an actual contributing member of society with a real career (though I guess teachers qualify for that as well and they still get summer breaks).
We are also heading back to the eastern time zone (though only by about 20 miles). I hate the eastern time zone. staying up until 1 AM is not as fun as it used to be and that's what you have to do if you want to see the NBA playoffs.
This is the second time we have moved from Utah to a location east of the Mississippi and you might think it would be very similar, however, there is one distinct difference in this move. When we moved to Pikeville we were moving from Salt Lake City. We both loved Salt Lake, but it wasn't home. Now we are leaving from Cedar City and Cedar City is home. I am nothing if not a Cedar City boy and Melissa has admitted that she is definately a Cedar City woman (as she didn't grow up in Cedar she can't have the distinction of a Cedar girl). We are all but certain that we will hightail it back to Cedar in 3 years and live out our years there.
Living in Cedar this past year has been nothing short of wonderful. For me there were so many benefits that I can't even begin to list them all.
It was absolutely wonderful to live in the same town with my older brother and his family. When I was a kid I used to love it when my dad got together with his brothers because they always seemed to have such a great time. They would laugh together and tell stories about when they were younger. They would joke with each other. They always seemed to enjoy everything they did together. I remember thinking that it would take a miracle for Bob and I to be that way because we used to fight so much (I was always an innocent victim back then). Well my brothers and I reached the point that I always wanted to get to some years ago (though I have a boat sitting on my patio out in Indiana that says things aren't as good as I thought, more on that in a future post) and it has been wonderful to be able to work and play and laugh with Bob and his family so frequently this past year. My brothers are my best friends (so are my sisters, but this isn't about Char and Becca now is it) and I am saddened to be leaving Cedar, but excited to be moving closer to Doug in Cleveland.
Of course no post about Cedar would be complete without mentioning my parents. They are the best parents/grandparents I could ever dream of and it has been a pleasure living near them again. I will miss the Sunday dinners, and the numerous evenings we spent together. I will also miss the many lunches at the clinic. I may never formally work with my dad (he plans to retire the day before I get to Cedar and I'm gratefull he is waiting that long), but over the past year I have spent many a lunch hour passing time with dad in his clinic. It was a nice bonus that they had catered lunches so many of those days, but being in the clinic with my father made me feel like a kid again going to work with dad. Of all the things I will miss about Cedar those lunch hours with dad will be at the top of the list and I think he enjoyed them a little bit too.
We are leaving for Indiana tonight, as many of you know, and with this move life will change quite a bit.
Friday will signal the end of my years of summer breaks as Monday I become an actual contributing member of society with a real career (though I guess teachers qualify for that as well and they still get summer breaks).
We are also heading back to the eastern time zone (though only by about 20 miles). I hate the eastern time zone. staying up until 1 AM is not as fun as it used to be and that's what you have to do if you want to see the NBA playoffs.
This is the second time we have moved from Utah to a location east of the Mississippi and you might think it would be very similar, however, there is one distinct difference in this move. When we moved to Pikeville we were moving from Salt Lake City. We both loved Salt Lake, but it wasn't home. Now we are leaving from Cedar City and Cedar City is home. I am nothing if not a Cedar City boy and Melissa has admitted that she is definately a Cedar City woman (as she didn't grow up in Cedar she can't have the distinction of a Cedar girl). We are all but certain that we will hightail it back to Cedar in 3 years and live out our years there.
Living in Cedar this past year has been nothing short of wonderful. For me there were so many benefits that I can't even begin to list them all.
It was absolutely wonderful to live in the same town with my older brother and his family. When I was a kid I used to love it when my dad got together with his brothers because they always seemed to have such a great time. They would laugh together and tell stories about when they were younger. They would joke with each other. They always seemed to enjoy everything they did together. I remember thinking that it would take a miracle for Bob and I to be that way because we used to fight so much (I was always an innocent victim back then). Well my brothers and I reached the point that I always wanted to get to some years ago (though I have a boat sitting on my patio out in Indiana that says things aren't as good as I thought, more on that in a future post) and it has been wonderful to be able to work and play and laugh with Bob and his family so frequently this past year. My brothers are my best friends (so are my sisters, but this isn't about Char and Becca now is it) and I am saddened to be leaving Cedar, but excited to be moving closer to Doug in Cleveland.
Of course no post about Cedar would be complete without mentioning my parents. They are the best parents/grandparents I could ever dream of and it has been a pleasure living near them again. I will miss the Sunday dinners, and the numerous evenings we spent together. I will also miss the many lunches at the clinic. I may never formally work with my dad (he plans to retire the day before I get to Cedar and I'm gratefull he is waiting that long), but over the past year I have spent many a lunch hour passing time with dad in his clinic. It was a nice bonus that they had catered lunches so many of those days, but being in the clinic with my father made me feel like a kid again going to work with dad. Of all the things I will miss about Cedar those lunch hours with dad will be at the top of the list and I think he enjoyed them a little bit too.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Which Princess are you?
I saw this on a friend's blog and I just had to take the quiz. I must say you have to take a few liberties when taking a quiz to see which princess you most resemble if you are a straight male. I've never been to fond of this particular princess, but I do like the description so I'll take it.
Feel free to take the quiz and post your results in the comments section.
You Are Pocahantas!
I also took the quiz on behalf of Melissa (I answered how I thought she would answer, I'm curious to see if it matches up with what she really says when she takes the quiz).
Feel free to take the quiz and post your results in the comments section.
You Are Pocahantas!
Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.
Which Disney Princess Are You?
I also took the quiz on behalf of Melissa (I answered how I thought she would answer, I'm curious to see if it matches up with what she really says when she takes the quiz).
Melissa
Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.
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