What Conservatives Really Want

Why, oh why, aren't any Democrats in Washington or anywhere else for that matter listening to George Lakoff? Why aren't they re-framing the discussion the way he advocates? In this insightful article, Lakoff articulates what exactly the Conservatives are after, and what is the underlying belief system behind it.

Budget deficits are a ruse, as we've seen in Wisconsin, where the governor turned a surplus into a deficit by providing corporate tax breaks, and then used the deficit as a ploy to break the unions, not just in Wisconsin, but seeking to be the first domino in a nationwide conservative movement.

Deficits can be addressed by raising revenue, plugging tax loopholes, putting people to work, and developing the economy long-term in all the ways the president has discussed. But deficits are not what really matters to conservatives.

Conservatives really want to change the basis of American life, to make America run according to the conservative moral worldview in all areas of life....

Conservatives believe in individual responsibility alone, not social responsibility. They don't think government should help its citizens. That is, they don't think citizens should help each other. The part of government they want to cut is not the military (we have 174 bases around the world), not government subsidies to corporations, not the aspect of government that fits their worldview. They want to cut the part that helps people. Why? Because that violates individual responsibility. (emphasis mine)

To read more and get the critical details, read the complete article. It isn't too long, but vitally important for this country.