A LESSON FOR MICHAEL STEELE

Let me make it plain to you: I am a conservative who has registered as a Republican.

Where my conservative values conflict with the stated principles and/or objectives of the Republican Party, I will side with my conservative values, hands down, every time.

The names of the two Parties are derived from their original meanings politically.

The name "Democrat" suggests an allegiance to the government as a pure, or nearly pure, democracy.

The name "Republican" suggests an allegiance to the government as a representative republic.

Technically, the United States of America is a "Constitutional Republic."

It most certainly is not, nor was it ever intended to be a democracy.

Benjamin Franklin was asked, upon his emergence from the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, what form of government the United States was going to have. Franklin answered succinctly, "A Republic, if you can keep it."

Abraham Lincoln said, in his Gettysburg Address: "...that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

When examining documents to determine the history or historicity of something, the closer in time one gets to the original(s), the closer one will be to the original intent of the authors of the documents.

By examining the writings of those closest to the formation of this country one can discern the actually intent and meaning of the founders when they established it.

Conversely, the farther we get from the events surrounding the founding, the more likely we are to infect or even corrupt the original intent.

Our forefathers established a "Democratic Republic," based on, and controlled by a constitution deliberately designed to limit the power held by the central government over the people it governed.

That constitution was a document that could be altered by the will of the people through an amendment process that required a substantial vote of the congress and a ratification by the people.

Now let me get to my point(s).

If you hold to so-called "liberal" core values, such as: a large central government can best meet the needs of the citizens; government regulation will solve many or most of the things that are wrong with business in this country; government has the right to intrude in people's lives when it is "for the common good;" the constitution is nothing more than a guide and can be changed or reinterpreted at the whim of the Judicial branch of government; etc., then you should not be in the Republican Party.

If you hold to so-called "conservative" core values, such as: belief that the The Constitution is our ultimate arbiter of things governmental; the smallest possible government is the best thing for the country; individual responsibility for one's actions and personal accountability for ones pursuit of happiness and for one's achievements, then you should not be in the Democrat Party.

What has happened in our great land is that people "born into" one Party or the other remain in that Party regardless of what they actually believe, unwilling to change Party affiliation due to some kind of pride or pressure.

Thus, each Party has become a caricature of itself, no longer definable.

We have "Blue Dog" Democrats and RINOs all scrambled up in the mix, making Party identification nearly moot.

I am particularly vexed with the Republican Party members who have adopted this "Big Tent" idea that Republicans need not stick to their original dogma, but should become "inclusive," meaning, I suppose, "all things to all people."

Poppy-ever-lovin'-blue-eyed-cock!

Big Tentism never has, does not now and never will help the Republican Party. It will only split it up into factions and ensure that Republicans do not get elected to any office.

What Big Tentism DOES do is alienate people like me and other conservatives.

It seems to have gotten the idea that "if we can't win with conservative values, then we must become like the Democrats and try to steal some of their positions so liberals will like us more."

Newsflash! Liberals will NEVER like us more, no matter what we do BECAUSE THEY ARE WHO THEY ARE AND THEY DON'T WANT US BEING THEM!!

I, for one, don't want to be them anyway. If you want to be them, for Pete's sake just go join them...that's OK! But don't try to change me and my ilk by trying to convince us that we should be more like them.

If the Republican leadership has any "learnability" left in them, let them learn that lesson.

BE WHO YOU ARE, TAKE A STAND FOR WHO YOU ARE AND BE PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE!!

As the old saying goes, "People who stand for nothing will fall for anything."

Republicans! Do you want to win more elections? Then start acting more like Republicans.

That means adopting a conservative platform with conservative values and running conservative candidates.

Then the people will have a choice in the upcoming elections, and given that choice, they will side with conservatives every time.

When both sides look alike, as in the last presidential election, it looks like there is no choice and the people choose "change for the sake of change," which is exactly what they got.

It is time for another change. This time, let's make it change with a purpose...a conservative purpose.

Are you listening, Mr. Steele?