tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344202303192701972.post5150357317791210794..comments2024-01-11T07:17:00.531-05:00Comments on Dem Bones: Introducing Bradley Rees, Republican Candidate for Congress (VA-5)Drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16836469722651598246noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344202303192701972.post-66244178217673898372009-04-07T06:06:00.000-04:002009-04-07T06:06:00.000-04:00Thanks for posting on me, Drew.I suppose I should ...Thanks for posting on me, Drew.<BR/><BR/>I suppose I should clarify my philosophy a bit, since the description is kind of open-ended and sounds contradictory. I meant that I have <I>borrowed</I> from these different philosophies in the following ways-<BR/><BR/>Ayn Rand/Objectivism: The notion that man is an end in himself and is, ultimately, a rational/logical being, thus all of his knowledge and decisions are, whether consciously or not, wholly dependent on logic and rationalization. The man who is completely ruled by emotion has chosen to do so and, as such, is in denial of rationality. So it follows that he is actually a worshipper of death, since life is a series of self-generated and self-sustaining actions, dependent on logic and emotion, but logic first and foremost, as emotions on their own have no power to sustain life.<BR/><BR/>Libertarianism: Similar to Rand (but separate, since Ayn Rand despised Libertarians). Man is an individual. Natural rights (life, liberty, and property, as laid out in the Declaration) are conferred on each individual, and <B><I>all</I></B> individuals equally. In a moral and civilized society, an individual has every right to swing their fist. That right ends where another individual's nose begins. No entity (especially government) has the right to <B><I>initiate</I></B> force to achieve their ends. Hence, compulsory education and compulsory wage withholding are absolutely immoral, if we wish to claim that we live in a civilized and moral society.<BR/><BR/>Conservatism: Again, the point hinges on liberty. The individual, having property rights (without which the pursuit of happiness is impossible) conferred upon them not by man, but by virtue of being human, cannot therefore be stripped of their property under any moral claim, by any earthly entity. When government (which produces no product and creates no wealth on its own) gets wealth from individuals, it is designed to be voluntary. In being a citizen, it is an individual's duty to provide a portion of the monies by which government funds certain enumerated functions, but <I>only</I> those functions that absolutely cannot be performed by individuals. These functions are few. Our imperial Federal government has <B>far</B> over-reached those limitations, and has been reaching even further for well over a century, as the Framers predicted. This is, quite simply, unsustainable.<BR/><BR/>I hope that clarifies things a bit.<BR/>:-) Thanks again.<BR/>Bradley S. ReesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1344202303192701972.post-53579176227480540262009-04-04T05:44:00.000-04:002009-04-04T05:44:00.000-04:00Nice post, but I believe I'll just ignore him for ...Nice post, but I believe I'll just ignore him for now..............JCWhitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13487577398535899723noreply@blogger.com