We should live each day with integrity, honesty, and courage. And really, if we think about it a little, it's not tough to do. Integrity is all about doing the right thing. As the saying goes, "Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching."
Honesty is all about telling the truth. It's about being trustworthy. As for having courage, courage is doing what is right even when it's hard or maybe we're scared to do something that we have to do. Put these together, integrity, honesty, and courage, and one finds that these are some of the traits needed to be a good person who is good for the sake of being good.
Lately, I've had a few people write to tell me that my support for Conservatives and my dislike for Leftist Democrats is misplaced. I've had some people write to tell me that all politicians are alike. But frankly, I think that's bullshit. The fact is, there is a huge moral difference between a morally sound Conservative politician and a Leftist Democrat who lacks a moral compass.
This started me thinking that some folks have no idea what a morally sound Conservative is, versus what a Leftist Democrat without a moral compass is. Generally speaking, a morally sound Conservative is someone who is guided by objective moral obligations, tradition, virtues, and a healthy value system. A Leftist Democrat without a moral compass prioritizes having power and satisfactory outcomes over doing things with moral principles.
The differences between a morally sound Conservative and a Leftist Democrat without a moral compass are best understood by focusing on the source of their authority, their defining values, and their motivation for political power.
Based on what they fight for and protest against these days, anyone who is the least bit objective can see that Leftist Democrats don't have even a collective "Moral Compass" today. And no, I'm not kidding. I truly believe that anyone who is the least bit objective, which refers to anyone who is trying, even slightly, to view a situation for what it actually is, rather than what they want it to be, anyone who possesses even a minimal, slight, or small amount of impartiality, fairness, or unbiased reasoning would agree that Democrats today have gone full-Communist and in the process have thrown away whatever moral compass they may have had.
Now, before you start thinking that I'm some anti-government nutcase, you shouldn't. You'd be wrong to think that way. I love America. I love our form of government. I even love our government. Like most big outfits, the government has a lot of people who work for it who should get a lot of credit for doing some great work, but don't. And, like big outfits, I'm sure there are people working for "our" government who would do better working at McDonald's.
President Biden himself made the statement that "No amendment to the Constitution is absolute" on multiple occasions, and his administration tried to overturn our Constitutional rights. They even tried to stop our democratic processes, tried to stop candidates from being put on ballots across the nation. And let's not forget how the Biden administration acted like a Dictatorship by weaponizing government agencies to go after American citizens with fake criminal charges -- including their political opponents, as was the case when they falsely tried to jail President Trump.
Without a moral compass, Democrats don't have that innate human, internal, intuitive sense of right and wrong that guides our individual ethical decisions, behavior, and judgments. By purposely throwing away their moral compass, Democrats, both politicians and their supporters, don't have what most people have -- which is honor, integrity, and decency.
In most decent people, a moral compass makes up our character as good people. It's a personal framework shaped by upbringing, culture, and experiences that helps people navigate complex dilemmas. It helps good people maintain integrity and honesty, and have courage, while prioritizing honesty and showing empathy.
Our moral compass helps us maintain our personal integrity. Our moral compass is what tells us to turn down a dishonest proposal. It's what tells us to stay true to those things that are good and right. It's part of the values that make us good people. And sadly, the Left is lacking it these days.
So, what is a morally sound Conservative?
A morally sound Conservative has a sense of morality that often comes from their religious upbringing, being raised in a traditional, stable family, knowing right from wrong, and adhering to what is right while understanding what is wrong. They are someone who views morality as something that's needed, and should be upheld.
It's very common for such a morally sound Conservative to have values that speak to his or her belief in what constitutes harm versus care, what is fairness, the importance of loyalty that's not blind, the need for authority and respect for freedom and individual rights. They are someone who sees the government as something that works for the people and not something that owns the people. They are people who understand how vital it is to stay true to yourself by living each day with integrity, honesty, and courage.
Their virtues emphasize personal responsibility, love of family, self-discipline, and duty. Freedom, liberty, and rights are not meaningless words to a morally sound Conservative. Since they view the role of government as preserving social order, protecting traditional institutions such as family and our communities, and enforcing moral duties. A Conservative who is morally sound will prioritize moral conviction over political convenience, even at the cost of losing an election or losing popularity.
For such a Conservative, freedom, liberty, and individual rights are foundational principles rooted in natural law. Those are the things God grants us. It's what ensures our human dignity. And yes, those are things that we have a moral obligation to fight to preserve. Those are the things that define why we need limited government, why we need a bridle on the politically powerful who see government as a Master and the people as subjects to be ruled.
Individual Rights are inherent and not granted by the government, but by God. It's a belief that I was taught as a young boy, and I believe it with all my heart. It's a belief that holds that the government should have a minimal role in citizens' daily lives and in the free market. It's a belief that says our sense of personal responsibility is vitally important in a free society is because individuals are responsible for their own actions and well-being.
That's why our individual rights, liberties, or freedoms are absolute and are never to be ranked lower in importance than the interests, stability, or laws of any nation. When that happens, then the citizens lose their rights and become subjects. No longer free and no longer self-governed. It means we have been placed under the boot of some authoritarian government that doesn't give a damn about our rights.
That is why Americans preserve a tradition of maintaining our skepticism of government while also maintaining order. True freedom is about maintaining order, also known as "Ordered Liberty," which is freedom tempered by responsibility, virtue, and respect for the rights of others.
Whether most Conservatives are conscious of it or not, the belief of freedom as something that is "Ordered Liberty," or "Liberty Without Chaos," or "Responsible Freedom Within Limits," is a belief that most morally sound Conservatives believe in. It makes sense since the idea of law and order in a free society is as important as water is to our bodies.
The idea of law and order in a free society is considered essential to our survival, serving as the foundation that protects rights, ensures justice, and enables peaceful coexistence, much like water supports human life. Without the rule of law, society risks descending into chaos, where might makes right and individual freedoms are lost to fear and instability.
The framework for Liberty is simply the understanding that true freedom is not the absence of rules, but rather freedom within an ordered system where individual rights are safeguarded against abuses by others, organizations, or the government itself. That's how we prevent anarchy. Laws provide us with a life that is predictable and accountable. Laws create a stable environment where citizens know their rights and obligations. It serves as a necessary mechanism to solve disputes and manage conflicts without resorting to violence.
The "Rule of Law" in a free society is where the law must be applied equally and impartially, ensuring no one — including the rich and powerful, and members of the government — is above the law. This requires strong institutions and an independent judiciary. And frankly, America's legal system allows for social change and economic growth by providing secure property rights, enforceable contracts, and a fair competitive business environment.
And there's a balance that's needed to make things work right. That balance has to do with a government that must be strong enough to maintain order, while the people have laws in place to limit the government from becoming oppressive. Too much authority breeds too much power. Too much power is never good in the hands of morally unsound politicians.
As for my analogy of water and life vitality? Just as a body requires water to thrive, a society requires law to remain vibrant and cohesive. Just as it is a danger for us when water is scarce, a complete lack of law breeds the danger of chaos in the streets. But at the same time, laws not tempered with mercy or justice become oppressive, illustrating that law and order must be carefully balanced with human dignity.
Thankfully, Americans enjoy laws built on a foundation of fairness. As noted by John Locke, "Where there is no law there is no freedom".
In a just society, law and order do not exist merely for control but to empower citizens, creating a secure environment where individuals can live with dignity, security, and freedom. True liberty is not the ability to do whatever one wants, but the ability to act according to one's duties and obligations within a structured society. The belief of an "Ordered Liberty" is all about how freedom requires order to exist, and how absolute freedom leads to chaos. Liberty is precious. And for those who have fought for it, they can attest to the fact that liberty within a framework of tradition and law actually creates lasting freedom.
Thankfully, Americans enjoy laws built on a foundation of fairness. As noted by John Locke, "Where there is no law there is no freedom".
In a just society, law and order do not exist merely for control but to empower citizens, creating a secure environment where individuals can live with dignity, security, and freedom. True liberty is not the ability to do whatever one wants, but the ability to act according to one's duties and obligations within a structured society. The belief of an "Ordered Liberty" is all about how freedom requires order to exist, and how absolute freedom leads to chaos. Liberty is precious. And for those who have fought for it, they can attest to the fact that liberty within a framework of tradition and law actually creates lasting freedom.
Liberty is defined as being free from arbitrary, overbearing, or excessive restrictions imposed by the government. Liberty is considered a vehicle for moral decision-making, not the end of human existence itself. Liberty is seen as indivisible, meaning political freedom cannot exist without economic freedom, free markets, and the right to own property. This includes the right to self-defense, free speech, the free exercise of religion, and the ability to make personal choices without state interference.
Freedom is meaningless without the freedom to choose "The Good" and to exercise personal responsibility rather than relying solely on the state. Our rights are God-given and inherent to human nature, not granted by government.
Morally sound Conservatives believe that the primary role of government is limited to protecting our God-given inherent rights, which include life, liberty, conscience, and property. Morally sound Conservatives don't believe that the government is there to provide handouts in the form of endless generational welfare, but to assist people by providing a hand up to find work, not to take on the role of parent.
So yes, morally sound Conservatives believe in the individual having rights. Morally sound Conservatives tend to emphasize individual rights and equality under the law over group identity. Most resist the use of race or other demographic factors used by the government to divide and treat people by class.
Because Conservatives believe all men and women are created in the image of God, every human life has inestimable value. Conservatives emphasize that liberty is best protected by the family, one's church, and community groups rather than by an all-powerful Central Government that Communists love so much.
Frankly, when it comes to an individual's moral character, Conservatives who are morally sound all agree that public policy should encourage virtue, with the goal of creating a "good" society where individuals are responsible for their own successes and failures. In essence, for a Conservative, the words freedom and liberty mean we should live according to one's morals and traditional standards, while being protected by a limited government that honors an individual's dignity and responsibility.
What are morally sound Conservatives? They are believers in God. They maintain a moral compass that dictates their sense of duty to be good, productive providers, honest, brave, have integrity, honor, and be patriotic.
They do so while Leftist Democrats, who threw away their moral compass long ago, are unconstrained by traditional morality to feel free to lie, cheat, steal, deceive, slander, plot, scheme, attack, enslave, and subjugate others, including their own supporters, while using the language of "progress" and "equality" to mask a purely power-driven political agenda.
Tom Correa
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