A Different Homage to Rush

After Rush died, I was struck like so many others. I rarely listened to him because if I had the radio on during his hours I would be listening to Dennis Prager.  While listening to the reaction to his leaving us, something stated by Tucker Carlson literally caused me to light up.

He said that Rush defined what being a Conservative/Republican is with a distinct clarity. He also said that we really do not have anyone else around today do that. He went on to state he did not believe one member of Congress could do so if given the opportunity.

That left me with a challenge. Though I consider myself a peon compared to Rush, I decided to tackle the project.

First and foremost, we believe that the United States of America is the greatest force for good in the world and in the history of the world.  In our almost 250-year history, we have done more good on this planet than any other nation that has ever existed.  We have faced our challenges to do better and we have strived to do that. That is why we are still the beacon of freedom for people around the world. Many want to come here and experience the American dream whether they be dirt poor, comfortably middle-class, or wealthy regardless of their ethnic background.

We believe our Declaration of Independence and Constitution are the backbone of our existence. And, most importantly, the Bill of Rights provides us unique freedoms, unlike any other country. Our protections on freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms, freedom from unjustified government search and seizures, and more makes our country unique and needs to be protected.

We believe in the rule of law. We believe that the government has promulgated too many laws that confuse our citizens as to their obligations.  Laws need clarity for people to understand what those obligations are so they can be clearly enforced. When there are too many laws and they conflict with each other that leads good, honest citizens to disregard them thus damaging the rule of law. Once laws are clear but then broken, swift and sure punishment can be meted out for breaking those laws.

We believe that our courts are established to apply the laws. We want judges to interpret the laws as written by the legislature not to make up interpretations to suit the times. An independent judiciary has its role and a limit to its independence.

We believe that our system of capitalism combined with a free democracy through our Republican form of government provides the greatest opportunity to all Americans to reach their fullest potential in achieving a rich and rewarding life. 

We believe in equality of opportunity. We do not care what your ethnic background is or when you (legally) came here. If you work hard and follow the rule of law, we wish you God speed. If Asians are the best students and study the hardest, they should have the highest number admitted to elite universities. If you come from a different ethnic background and do not like how many Asians are filling those spots, we have a solution for you.  Work harder. Individual merit and hard work are how you succeed in our country.

We believe what we offer to the world is the reason that so many people across our planet want to immigrate here. We ask only two things. Allow our system to determine how many people can come here that best meets the needs of the country; and second, you come here through our legal process. Once here, we wish you the best of luck. We find people who follow these rules want to become Americans in the sense of what that has meant to millions of people for more than 200 years. We find they are proud to participate in our system and have enormous success.  Many become our best Americans.

We believe this country was founded as a religious country. That means we do not care what religion you follow; simply that you follow a religion. Religion fosters a strong family structure and strong families are the backbone of this nation. The dissolution of the family structure will destroy America. Children are best brought up in a household with committed parents.

We believe in free and fair elections where individuals have to take responsibility for their own vote and to educate themselves as to who should be their elected leaders. A system where individuals are divorced from any responsibility for their vote will lead to a dishonest and devalued government.

There may be other essential aspects of the beliefs we have as Republicans/Conservatives. If I missed something, please let me know. I believe that all Republicans should be able to espouse these principles and that Rush would have supported them all.

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This article first appeared on February 28, 2021 in Flash Report and is reproduced with permission of the author.