Do Conservatives Care About Doing Any Good?

General philosophy message board for Discussion and debate on other philosophical issues not directly related to veganism. Metaphysics, religion, theist vs. atheist debates, politics, general science discussion, etc.
Post Reply
User avatar
Red
Supporter
Supporter
Posts: 3897
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2014 8:59 pm
Diet: Vegan
Location: To the Depths, in Degradation

Do Conservatives Care About Doing Any Good?

Post by Red »

My VP @Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and I tend to discuss our domestic program on occasion (and don't worry, I'm gonna add more to the story), and we believe that it is very reflective of progressive/liberal agendas.

When I look at that idea, and see how nearly everything on the list is opposite to conservative stances. Obviously, all of those are about helping people and the environment, strengthening infrastructure, and building on social programs, and more funding for scientists and engineers, but conservatives are against them. I have to ask though, why? How would supporting all of these things lead to more bad?

I presume it's because these people don't want to be spending money to help others survive, which, from a Darwinian perspective I understand, but from a moral perspective, all it does is benefit less people and telling everyone else to go fuck themselves. I have to ask, how can you be a conservative and consider yourself to be a good person? I don't understand it.

I showed my agenda to a conservative friend of mine, and they said my policies are based on emotions, which I almost retorted that not giving is also based on emotions.

So, do conservatives care about doing the most good, or are they more self-motivated?
Last edited by Red on Sun Jun 17, 2018 9:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Learning never exhausts the mind.
-Leonardo da Vinci
User avatar
Jebus
Master of the Forum
Posts: 2379
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2014 2:08 pm
Diet: Vegan

Re: Do Conservatives Care About Doing Any Good?

Post by Jebus »

Indeed very selfish people. They think that putting a few dollars in the church collection every week excludes them as such.
How to become vegan in 4.5 hours:
1.Watch Forks over Knives (Health)
2.Watch Cowspiracy (Environment)
3. Watch Earthlings (Ethics)
Congratulations, unless you are a complete idiot you are now a vegan.
User avatar
Red
Supporter
Supporter
Posts: 3897
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2014 8:59 pm
Diet: Vegan
Location: To the Depths, in Degradation

Re: Do Conservatives Care About Doing Any Good?

Post by Red »

Jebus wrote: Sun Jun 17, 2018 6:30 pm Indeed very selfish people. They think that putting a few dollars in the church collection every week excludes them as such.
I agree, that's also a problem. It's odd, when a large part of conservatism is Judeo-Christian values.
Learning never exhausts the mind.
-Leonardo da Vinci
User avatar
brimstoneSalad
neither stone nor salad
Posts: 10273
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 9:20 am
Diet: Vegan

Re: Do Conservatives Care About Doing Any Good?

Post by brimstoneSalad »

Typically, they're just very very confused on economics and believe the only way you help people is by helping companies (by cutting taxes), and then you'll get "trickle down" economics, otherwise it's just creating unsustainable debt or stifling the economy with heavy tax burdens.
User avatar
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Master of the Forum
Posts: 1209
Joined: Sun Feb 21, 2016 5:57 am
Diet: Ostrovegan
Location: The Matrix

Re: Do Conservatives Care About Doing Any Good?

Post by Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz »

I don't think that it does any good to generalize conservatives as a whole. Many of them are selfish individuals and many of them are decent people who genuinely believe that a capitalist system with little or no government oversight will lead to the most prosperity.
User avatar
brimstoneSalad
neither stone nor salad
Posts: 10273
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 9:20 am
Diet: Vegan

Re: Do Conservatives Care About Doing Any Good?

Post by brimstoneSalad »

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz wrote: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:53 pm I don't think that it does any good to generalize conservatives as a whole. Many of them are selfish individuals and many of them are decent people who genuinely believe that a capitalist system with little or no government oversight will lead to the most prosperity.
I think the latter is more common... at least among most voters.
Now among politicians I'm not so sure; the ones supporting trump right now just seem to be power hungry and selfish. Trump acts as a pretty good test for which politicians have principles (however misguided) and which don't.
User avatar
EquALLity
I am God
Posts: 3022
Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2014 11:31 am
Diet: Vegan
Location: United States of Canada

Re: Do Conservatives Care About Doing Any Good?

Post by EquALLity »

brimstoneSalad wrote: Mon Jun 18, 2018 2:54 pm
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz wrote: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:53 pm I don't think that it does any good to generalize conservatives as a whole. Many of them are selfish individuals and many of them are decent people who genuinely believe that a capitalist system with little or no government oversight will lead to the most prosperity.
I think the latter is more common... at least among most voters.
Now among politicians I'm not so sure; the ones supporting trump right now just seem to be power hungry and selfish. Trump acts as a pretty good test for which politicians have principles (however misguided) and which don't.
I think that is a problem with politicians, not conservatives.
"I am not a Marxist." -Karl Marx
Jamie in Chile
Senior Member
Posts: 399
Joined: Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:40 pm
Diet: Vegetarian

Re: Do Conservatives Care About Doing Any Good?

Post by Jamie in Chile »

I think conservatives believe in doing good locally but don't think much beyond the immediate family or town or their country.

I am sure there are lots of conservatives doing good within their families and local communities, just to give a couple of examples.

I think conservatismism is fundamentally about reistaance to change and lack of openness to change, but conservatives are very open to doing good in the same ways that good has been done already and for ages.
User avatar
Red
Supporter
Supporter
Posts: 3897
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2014 8:59 pm
Diet: Vegan
Location: To the Depths, in Degradation

Re: Do Conservatives Care About Doing Any Good?

Post by Red »

brimstoneSalad wrote: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:25 am Typically, they're just very very confused on economics and believe the only way you help people is by helping companies (by cutting taxes), and then you'll get "trickle down" economics, otherwise it's just creating unsustainable debt or stifling the economy with heavy tax burdens.
Would you say that Reaganomics is effective in helping the poor and the economy?
And didn't Reagan cut taxes on the rich and raise them on the working class?

And Bush Jr. had major tax cuts which harmed our infrastructure if I'm not mistaken (along with doubling the national debt).

To add to the point of the thread, the other day I was watching a video of Barry Jewwater explaining why he was against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the comments were filled with apologists saying how he was right in that. I'm honestly not sure what to think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJyWWM9OHKA
Learning never exhausts the mind.
-Leonardo da Vinci
User avatar
brimstoneSalad
neither stone nor salad
Posts: 10273
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 9:20 am
Diet: Vegan

Re: Do Conservatives Care About Doing Any Good?

Post by brimstoneSalad »

Cutting or raising taxes on the very rich doesn't necessarily make a big difference. Yes they have a lot of money, but there aren't that many of them.

You have to tax more heavily the upper middle class, and that's trouble if you want to get elected because those are the majority voting you into office.
Or you can switch to more property and resources taxes... there are some speculative systems that are interesting, but the US will never have much money for social programs as long as military spending is so high. A lot of things can be improved without raising taxes.
Post Reply