From John Hawkins at townhall.comThere's a lot to be said for talking about the Constitution, economic theory and what's best for the country. However, one place we conservatives have slipped in recent years is framing our policies in a way that answers the very first question on the mind of most voters, "How does this benefit me?"
That needs to change.
Conservatism is an ideology that benefits everyone, but it's particularly helpful to middle class Americans. If we want to bring more of those voters to the Right, we have to do a better job of explaining to them exactly how we're going to make their lives better. Happily, if you're talking to someone with an open mind, it's an easy case to make.
1) If a robber breaks into your house in the middle of the night, you should be allowed to use a gun to defend your family. If a woman is being threatened by a rapist, she should be able to use a gun to protect herself. If a child molester is trying to kidnap your son, you have every right to keep him safe. If someone is threatening the President of the United States or a celebrity, we all accept that their bodyguards should be able to use force to save their lives. Well, those of us who aren't rich shouldn't be left defenseless just because we can't afford bodyguards. We should have just as much of a right to safeguard our lives, our homes and our families as anyone else.
2) We don't believe in low tax rates for the rich; we believe in low tax rates FOR EVERYONE. The more you tax the rich, the less they invest, the more the economy suffers and the fewer jobs are created for the middle class. After all, you're never going to have a homeless man give you a job. Furthermore, despite all the rhetoric you hear to the contrary, the government can squeeze a lot more tax revenue out of the middle class than the rich. Inevitably, once the government raises taxes on the relatively small number of wealthy Americans, it always moves on to looting the middle class. In that sense, the rich are a tripwire. As long as their tax rates aren’t exorbitant, the middle class doesn’t have to worry about getting soaked either.
Be sure to read the rest here...
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