Excerpts

Foreword by William Bennett
Critics say conservatism is for stodgy and cranky old people—how about happy and enthusiastic lads? I give you Jonathan Krohn. Jonathan is a force of nature. I first got to know him some years back, when Jonathan was ten years old and he became a regular caller to my radio show. He would call in to make a keen observation about the political issue of the day, and usually, he would tie his point to something in The Federalist Papers or the U.S. Constitution. Sometimes, I give extra-insightful callers a giveaway item, but was stumped as to what to give this young man. More

Preface by Jonathan Krohn
All too often, it seems to me, Americans get swept away by debates over policies: Should we universalize health care? Allow homosexuals to marry? Bail out homeowners with upside-down mortgages? Politicians spend a lot of time battling each other’s policies, and average citizens hang all their hopes on those politicians’ finding the perfect policy solution to any given problem. While it is fine to fight bad policy ideas with good ones, it is not fine to do so without recognizing the basic underpinnings of the thought process that creates policy. More

CHAPTER TWO: Conservative Philosophy in General
The Basis of Conservative Philosophy
Why do we as conservatives believe what we believe? Is it because we are hopelessly nostalgic in our ideological perspectives? Is it because we hold on to the past with a hand that will not let go? Do we try to force our moral views on all other individuals? How do we conclude that conservative values lead us to any better conclusion than government expansionism? As Plato once wrote in his masterpiece Laws, “because you have gone back to first principles you have thrown a light upon the argument.” Plato here reflected on a fact of life: Principles reflect one’s personal perception. More