"Conservatives" and state budget shut down

Governor Mark Dayton

As of July 1^st we’ve got a government shut down in the state of Minnesota.  There is an impasse between Governor Mark Dayton and the Republicans, who control the legislature.  The Governor feels that taxes ought to be raised on those making over a million dollars/year (the top 0.3%), while the Republican’s have vowed not to raise taxes to meet the growing demands of the state (increased health care costs, etc.)

I’m puzzled that the Republican’s identify themselves as “conservatives” yet many of their actions at the state and national level don’t seem to correspond to my definition of conservative.  Seems to me someone who is a conservative would:

• Not support gambling as a means of raising vital budget dollars
• Value spending enough money to assure a top quality education is available to all children and young adults, despite income qualifications
• Abhor a preemptive war and extravagant military spending
• Value conservation of natural resources and thus promote alternative energy and careful environmental monitoring
• Find corporate CEO salaries unconscionable, sometimes over 100 times more than workers on the front lines
• Discourage consumerism, and encourage conserving resources; reducing, reusing and recycling

      Many conservatives have closely aligned themselves with the Christian church.  If Jesus is their model, seems they would be:

Bees on rose

•       Radically generous with the poor, and not worry about being repaid
•       Welcoming to immigrants and those of other nationalities
•       Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable   

As tensions grow between "liberals" and "conservatives" it seems we would all be wise to recognize there is no “them" and "us”, there is only “us”.

Let's hope there will be compromise on both sides and government workers can soon get back to work (hence the busy bee picture taken earlier this morning).