Column for March 8, 2012

Object lessons sometimes can drive the point home a lot easier than attempting to explain complicated concepts to a child. It sometimes works wonders with my nine-year-old. He is often in the car with me when the morning news is on the radio. As such, he will sometimes get civics lectures, history lectures, religious instruction, or just plain common sense discussions depending upon the subject matter on the radio. This is especially true when I have a talk radio program on and we get into discussions. Usually a discussion begins when he sees me get very frustrated and react to what I am hearing.

Just recently, there was a discussion about a famous talk radio show host who referred to a woman that testified before Congress as “a slut”. She had testified about her lascivious lifestyle as well as that of others she knows, and that she can’t afford all the expense of birth control as a result. Forrest Gump said in the movie of that same title, “My mama always said, ‘Stupid is as stupid does.’” Well, the fictional Gump’s mother is not the only one to have always said that; so did my mom. That principle transcends to behaviors as well. 

Because of a lifestyle choice, this woman wanted us taxpayers and/or insurance subscribers to pay for her birth control. If one performs a deed, the one performing it should be responsible for the consequences and responsibilities therefor, not others who are responsible enough to run their own lives well and pay for their own habitual needs. 

It just so happened that my wife and I were in the car with our son and our topic of conversation was about taxpayers paying for the actions and habits of others rather than them paying for their own choices. My son was wondering a bit about the conversation, so I decided to include him in the discussion.

I asked him if he would like to see other children in school get good grades, as he has been getting. Of course he did, was his response. I told him that I would contact the principal of the school and see about taking one of the A grades that he got and split it with a C average student. That way, both he and the other student could enjoy a B grade. “No way,” I was told. “I worked hard for my A. That isn’t fair. I shouldn’t have to get a lower grade just because someone else didn’t do as good as I did!”

“Why not,” I asked? “Why should other students get lower grades than you? What if they don’t have the opportunity to study as much as you do, have parents who make them do their homework, or maybe they just aren’t as smart as you? Why should you get a good grade and them not?”

“Because I earned my grades,” my son interjected. “It isn’t fair that I should work to earn my grades and have them taken away and given to someone who didn’t earn as good a grade! I earned it!”

“Congratulations, you are not a Democrat,” I informed him.

That discussion stuck with him, because he brought it up to me again just today. I know that this will be much to the chagrin of some members of the family who are loyal Democrats, regardless of the candidate or issues.

I remember my wife having a discussion with an elderly member of the family about a corrupt politician that is in office in Harnett County. My wife encouraged this dear old woman to vote for someone else in the (then) coming election. “But we can’t have a Republican in office,” was the naive response. The funny thing is that I know the family’s values. They have a strong work ethic, appreciate freedom, oppose welfare programs, oppose affirmative action, believe in merit based advancement, have been in and continue to run small businesses, want low taxes, and oppose things such as abortion. Those are conservative values, and none of which are traits of the present day Democrat Party. And yet there are people who will continue to vote that way regardless all because of some archaic, fallacious, and dangerous preconceived notion stemming back to the days of abolition.

I am still no fan of the Republican Party, believe me. I lament its current state and in general, its crop of candidates. If I could find an honest, conservative Democrat, he or she would get my vote. I just have not run across any in my lifetime. Then again, I have not run across many GOP candidates that are that way, either.