Principles v. Values

Principles are permanent. Principles are identical to the math concept: 2 + 2 = 4: Universally Accepted. Principles are analogous to the fact that water which always flows to the lowest level. Principles are indistinguishable from Thomas Jefferson’s INALIENABLE RIGHTS concept in the Declaration of Independence. Principles are Natural Law.

Values are subjective. Values change with the times. Values change over time for each of us. Values are our social norms, i.e. both personal and of societal. Values are Individual, emotional, and can be subjected to arguments because one person’s value may not be valued by another person. At one time, men valued leisure suits and women valued blazers with shoulder pads.

Conservative Values ~ In Georgia people are running for statewide office maintaining that they will uphold Conservative Values if we vote for them.

So, what exactly are Conservative Values?

Cultural and Social Conservatism:

Social conservatives generally believe that society consists of a network of personal, institutional and governmental relationships which are to be upheld through duty and, thus, designed to maintain “traditional” values. Conservatives seek to preserve a “Good-Ole’-Days” value system that provides a nostalgic feeling of the past. Conservative values strive to safeguard society’s established institutions and the values upheld by those institutions. Therefore, our government must have a role in encouraging and enforcing traditional conservative values and the behaviors these values support.

However, maintaining values is similar trying to hit pi?ata at a party. Values move.

At one time, our government valued moving Native Americans out West by removing them from their native lands in the name of progress. Our society believed in slavery. Women were not permitted to vote. Prohibition outlawed alcohol. Segregation was considered acceptable. Our government put Japanese Americans in containment camps during WWII. Separate but Equal Education was a law of the land. Marriage was defined as One-Man-and-One-Woman and anything else was a sin. HIV was a sign from God that homosexuality was a sin. Conservative values appear to have a Christian undertone.

Conservative values like "Take Back America" or "Make America Great Again" tap into 1) the decline in the influence of White Males in our society, 2) despite Freedom of Religion in the Bill of Rights, Islam is incompatible with the Christian values of the Founding Fathers, 3) Immigrants are taking American jobs and consuming American Social Service Benefits, 4) the idea that profiling Muslims is acceptable despite the American constitutional right to privacy.

There is no longer a majority in America. Everyone is a minority. All skin tones. All religions. All ethnic backgrounds. All genders. Based upon this monumental social change, how can we possibly get back to the “Good-Ole’-Days”?

In fact, if you take the concept of “Good-Ole’-Days” back far enough, we would all be living in caves with an open fire at the entrance to the cave.

I think Stephen Covey is correct when he admonishes us NOT to focus on Values but to focus on Principles.

An inalienable principle is that all men and all women are created equal. This seems to be a good place to start. Let’s focus on Principles.

Just the musings of “a” voter based on certain candidate TV commercials in Georgia touting Conservative Christian Values without defining a policy platform.