Post 2

So, the beginning of book talked about the conscience of a conservative, the perils of power, state's rights, and civil rights. 

To start off Goldwater discusses the difference between conservatism and liberalism. He says liberals are interested in the people's well beings while conservatives try and preserve their economic status. He says "It is Conservatism that puts material things in their proper place - that has a structured view of the human being and of human society, in which economics plays only a subsidiary role" (Goldwater 5). He also says "Conservatism looks upon the enhancement of man's spiritual nature as the primary concern in politics. Liberals on the other hand regard their satisfaction of economic wants as the dominant mission of society" (Goldwater 6). So what I gathered is that Conservatism is all about achieving as much individual freedom while keeping social order.

Goldwater then later discusses the problems with power. For example, he claims that government is the primary instrument in preventing man's liberty. But I thought we were a democracy? Doesn't that mean that everything is the people's decisions? In that case, the government shouldn't be the blame. Unless of course we call ourselves a democracy when were actually a republic. 

Goldwater believes that the Constitution should be obeyed word for word. That everything written in it was written for a purpose and we should abide by it. If we were to substitute our intentions with the framers of the Constitution, we would be endorsing a rule of men, not laws (Goldwater 23). Now I agree with Goldwater that we should follow the intentions embedded in the Constitution. Our Founding Fathers are the people who created and shaped our government and to not abide their intentions is like disobeying your parents, which eventually creates conflict and consequences. 

After knowing all this, can Americans keep the country going based on its core principles?