Happy New Year
"The book is nearly closed on 2008, and as we file it on the shelf with the volumes of years past, let's take a moment to count our blessings, appreciate the good times with friends and family, remember those who are no longer with us, and lift our spirits to the New Year before us.
To our Republican friends all across Virginia, we at your Republican Party of Virginia wish each and every one of you a happy, safe, and blessed New Year.
Conservatism IS Compassion
Republicans sure do put up with a lot of name-calling from our so-called "compassionate" and "open minded" liberal counterparts.
Whether it's the bumper sticker we see at least once a day (or, if you live in northern Virginia like me, twenty or thirty times a day) telling us "somewhere in Texas a village is missing an idiot" or "hate is not a family value", then it's a national Democrat like Howard Dean calling us "evil," "corrupt," "brain-dead," and "not nice people."
Because this liberal animosity is so pernicious, over time we've developed the ability to just tune it out, much the same way the national press tunes out any negative information about Barack Obama that may interfere with their daily "hunk o'meter" stories
There's no doubt the Democrats and mainstream media have done a masterful job of caricaturing Republicans as heartless and greedy. This cover from TIME magazine may refresh your memories from the good old days of the 90s (back when we were merely cruel, but not yet evil and brain dead).
Just as the anti-Gingrich nonsense was easily disproved, so too is there a mountain of data that proves that Republicans are not only far from being the scrooges we're made out to be, but actually exceptionally more giving, charitable and generous than liberals. A recent article in the New York Times (that's not a typo) grudgingly admitted a few realities about "liberal tightwads" and generous conservatives that will require more than a few pounds of sugar for Dr. Dean to swallow:
As we celebrate the holidays, reflect on our blessings, and reach out to those less fortunate, it is a fitting time to remind ourselves that not only are conservatives and Republicans far more generous and giving than liberals, but also why we are more charitable as well. The two ideas, ideology and charity, are clearly related.
In his exhaustively researched book on this subject, Makers and Takers, author Peter Schweizer notes that our ideas influence our behavior, and a conservative world-view of individual responsibility, self-reliance, and a belief in the inherent fairness of the free market economic system correlate overwhelmingly to a level of personal individual happiness liberals (generally) can't achieve. And happy people are more generous people.
Conservative beliefs command a sense of deep personal obligation on a person who acknowledges the privilege of living in the greatest country on earth. It is why conservatives don't buy the liberal mentality that advocating on behalf of some social program counts as compassion, and why famously liberal politicians continue to be exposed for failing to live the values they publicly espouse.
Conservatives require more from themselves when it comes to helping others than offering mere lip service, and it is on this point that the parting of ways between liberals and conservatives is most stark.
As Republicans, our ultimate goal is to win elections and provide better government that represents our values. But even without politics, a right-leaning ideology is beneficial for offering a path to a happier, healthier, better adjusted way of life. When we consider the unfortunate this year, we might also think of the unhappy and angry liberals who remain largely incapable of achieving the level of happiness Republicans have acquired by comparison.
And despite the names they call us or the bumper stickers raging against our very existence, we'll continue to count our blessings."
Jeffrey M. Frederick, Chairman
Republican Party of Virginia
To our Republican friends all across Virginia, we at your Republican Party of Virginia wish each and every one of you a happy, safe, and blessed New Year.
Conservatism IS Compassion
Republicans sure do put up with a lot of name-calling from our so-called "compassionate" and "open minded" liberal counterparts.
Whether it's the bumper sticker we see at least once a day (or, if you live in northern Virginia like me, twenty or thirty times a day) telling us "somewhere in Texas a village is missing an idiot" or "hate is not a family value", then it's a national Democrat like Howard Dean calling us "evil," "corrupt," "brain-dead," and "not nice people."
Because this liberal animosity is so pernicious, over time we've developed the ability to just tune it out, much the same way the national press tunes out any negative information about Barack Obama that may interfere with their daily "hunk o'meter" stories
There's no doubt the Democrats and mainstream media have done a masterful job of caricaturing Republicans as heartless and greedy. This cover from TIME magazine may refresh your memories from the good old days of the 90s (back when we were merely cruel, but not yet evil and brain dead).
Just as the anti-Gingrich nonsense was easily disproved, so too is there a mountain of data that proves that Republicans are not only far from being the scrooges we're made out to be, but actually exceptionally more giving, charitable and generous than liberals. A recent article in the New York Times (that's not a typo) grudgingly admitted a few realities about "liberal tightwads" and generous conservatives that will require more than a few pounds of sugar for Dr. Dean to swallow:
- Conservative households give 30 percent more to charity than liberals -- in one study it was nearly double (despite earning an average of 6 percent less in income);
- We give a higher percentage of income to charity;
- We are far more likely to volunteer for good causes;
- We donate blood more frequently than liberals or moderates;
- The religious, who are overwhelmingly more conservative as a group, give more to all causes than secular donors ($2,210 vs. $642).
As we celebrate the holidays, reflect on our blessings, and reach out to those less fortunate, it is a fitting time to remind ourselves that not only are conservatives and Republicans far more generous and giving than liberals, but also why we are more charitable as well. The two ideas, ideology and charity, are clearly related.
In his exhaustively researched book on this subject, Makers and Takers, author Peter Schweizer notes that our ideas influence our behavior, and a conservative world-view of individual responsibility, self-reliance, and a belief in the inherent fairness of the free market economic system correlate overwhelmingly to a level of personal individual happiness liberals (generally) can't achieve. And happy people are more generous people.
Conservative beliefs command a sense of deep personal obligation on a person who acknowledges the privilege of living in the greatest country on earth. It is why conservatives don't buy the liberal mentality that advocating on behalf of some social program counts as compassion, and why famously liberal politicians continue to be exposed for failing to live the values they publicly espouse.
Conservatives require more from themselves when it comes to helping others than offering mere lip service, and it is on this point that the parting of ways between liberals and conservatives is most stark.
As Republicans, our ultimate goal is to win elections and provide better government that represents our values. But even without politics, a right-leaning ideology is beneficial for offering a path to a happier, healthier, better adjusted way of life. When we consider the unfortunate this year, we might also think of the unhappy and angry liberals who remain largely incapable of achieving the level of happiness Republicans have acquired by comparison.
And despite the names they call us or the bumper stickers raging against our very existence, we'll continue to count our blessings."
Jeffrey M. Frederick, Chairman
Republican Party of Virginia
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