Progressive Conservatism

So-called 'progressives' have been working for a 'more just' version of the status quo since the latter part of the 19th century. That said, they (and many who call themselves 'liberal') have been staunch guardians of the status quo nonetheless. To illustrate lets take a look at the issue of higher education. Here we'll see how the progressive-conservative President-elect proposes to impose higher education upon the citizenry:(http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/index.php)

"Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama and Biden will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Recipients of the credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of community service."

So in other words, citizens will have to earn the 'priviledge' of gaining the skills to work for other people. Let's compare now to a liberal on the subject... the principal author of the constitution--James Madison --who believed that higher education was a necessary element of SELF-governance.

"...it is better for the poorer classes to have the aid of the richer by a general tax on property, than that every parent should provide at his own expence for the education of his children, it is certain that every Class is interested in establishments which give to the human mind its highest improvements, and to every Country its truest and most durable celebrity. Learned Institutions ought to be favorite objects with every free people. They throw that light over the public mind which is the best security against crafty & dangerous encroachments on the public liberty... Whilst those who are without property, or with but little, must be peculiarly interested in a System which unites with the more Learned Institutions, a provision for diffusing through the entire Society the education needed for the common purposes of life."

Wow... now granted, Obama couldn't utter such things without being accused of dropping communist buzzwords. But nonetheless it is yet another sign of how our Country has devolved, that we are expected to be forced into one servitude or another in order to gain the means that our founding fathers intended for breaking the bonds of servitude. We need to insist that the elected officials in our employ accept the enlightened ideals that our country was founded upon!