Which Side Am I On?

The other day a friend asked me which side I was on. He wanted to put me in one of his boxes. I'm on my own side; I develop my own opinions. I might agree with you on one or more issues, but you may be surprised on what we don't agree on (or maybe not). I don't really fit in a box. To quote a famous guy "I yam what I yam."

I don't believe in a cult of personality. I can't think of any person that is worthy of worship or swearing allegiance to.

I do believe in the Constitution of the United States of America. While not perfect, those guys in Philly did a good job of balancing everything out. They thought about it, talked about it, and mostly came to agreement. The compromises that had to be made at the time have mostly been sorted out and corrected through the amendments. I've come to really appreciate the anti-federalists that insisted on the Bill of Rights.

There are many greedy and power hungry people in Washington, D.C., (and other places), those people are NOT on my side.

I believe everyone has the potential to abuse power.

I believe everyone makes mistakes.

Transparency is key.

I believe the best way to keep greedy people from having power is through a balance of power. This balance occurring in the three well known branches of government, Executive, Judicial, and Legislative, as well as a balance between the states and the federal government. (Remember those Anti-Federalists!)

I recognize Stupid and Evil. I'll usually give Stupid a pass, although sometimes Stupid can be educated. Evil must be fought. Not enough of us are fighting - it's time for me to step up and join the fight.

Political Correctness is Stupid and Evil.

I believe in the lesser of two evils, but I prefer to choose between the better of two goods.

I hold no bias toward race, color, creed, sex or sexual orientation. (Did I forget anything?) Not only do I not care, I usually am not paying enough attention to notice. Don't ask me what you were wearing last week -- but you can bet I'll remember what you said.

Merit Counts! Special privileges for no one. You build self esteem not by telling someone how good they are, but by ensuring they are indeed good.

I affiliate myself with the Tea Party: fiscal responsibility, small government, the Constitution. However, I won't defend anyone when they don't deserve it. If anyone does something wrong, you won't get a free pass from me. I won't defend Stupid or Evil, even if you think you're on my side.

I make decisions based on facts and logic to the best of my ability, not on wishful thinking, following along blindly, or idealism.

I believe individuals and groups of individuals are more effective in almost every situation than government. Our Military is one huge exception.

I support our Military and credit them with providing a safe and secure environment for me to raise my children. There isn't civilization without security. (Although you can have security without civilization.)

I believe private enterprise has increased our standard of living more than any non-profit organization has. Oil and computers are two good examples.

I believe that every action has unintended consequences. The pros and cons must be considered; some good actions should not be enacted because of their cons.

I believe there are absolute truths and there are lines in the sand that should not be crossed.

I believe hard work is rewarding and satisfying in and of itself and that it should be respected.

My heroes are Farmers and Firemen and Engineers. Theoretical Physicists and Plumbers are pretty cool, too. My absolute favorites are Musicians.

Your turn. What do you believe?