Posted by Paul1405, Saturday, 15 December 2018 6:40:48 PM
What conservatism does is redirect government expenditure away from the majority and towards the elite. If the measure was the number of public servants employed then conservatives would be seen as "reducing government", even if it is an illusion created by outsourcing of government through the engagement of a mass of private contractors and consultants. If the measure is government intrusion into ordinary peoples lives, then conservatives will on the pretext of law and order or welfare control introduce more regulation.

Answer- Every form of government creates an elite and pulls the resources to themselves. There is a view that government has both "ongoing activities" and "development activities". "Ongoing activities" require a long term stable workforce. "Development activities" require costly short term project staff and consultants from specialty fields to create new government capabilities upon demand from the public. In order to manage costs to the public the government manages both the number of new capabilities under project development and the length of the projects. Right Liberals tend to be less risk adverse perhaps than Conservatives. Right Liberals are happy to spend the money so long as revenue follows. They tend to have a higher risk profile so they reserve correspondingly higher powers to terminate employment in the case that revenue changes unexpectedly. Right Liberals/ Free Traders believe that all things come down to money- they trust in the Free Market. Conservatives don't believe that all things come down to money, they are more risk adverse- but they understand that some risk is necessary- they believe that men and systems are not good or bad by themselves but need to be pushed in the right direction

The Left Liberals/ Social Progressives / Labor Party/ etc have their own risk profiles- they seem to believe higher levels of debt are acceptable but also higher levels of government cost. In recent years in one case of financial crisis the GFC was addressed by the Labor Party by spending in schools. You could argue that this short term debt effect is offset by the increased productive capability of investing in schools over some time horizon. I can't remember where they got the money from. National Governments can print money- but it lowers the currency internationally- this can increase national debt- it can increase the price of internationally sourced products such as mobile phones and computers which could be important for economic activity.

The point here is freedom, lack of discipline, lack of responsibility etc have a cost.

Conservatives believe that if we are responsible first then we can have some freedom- we believe that natural traditional systems of social organization are better on balance- we believe that though we need to sometimes manage nature it's best to work with it for stability.

Communists don't believe in individual or cultural ownership of property- they were and are willing to take extreme action to create this system.

//The point here is freedom, lack of discipline, lack of responsibility etc have a cost.//

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

Eternal vigilance against buggers like CM who would seek to rob us of our freedom.

Dear Paul and Belly,

Paul, I love your sharing your family stories with us.
And your wife's eating with her fingers is so lovely.
It reminds me of some of the old-timers in Lithuania
who used to eat many of their meals out of shared big
bowls - way back then. I think it was a universal
custom. Have fun with your Grandkids - what a
Christmas you'll all have.

I just got a telephone call from my daughter-in-law.
She's an architect and is very unhappy in her job.
She's finding the profession no longer satisfying.
Anyway, she wants to change professions. She wants
to go and study nursing. Her interest is in midwifery.
I think it's great and she should pursue where her
heart lies. She's applied for the course and is now
waiting to hear what happens next. It's all very
exciting. Her father does not approve. he's also
an architect (retired). So I have to
be diplomatic - but still try to bolster her spirits.

Dear Toni,

Thanks for consistently making us smile on this forum.
The world is made up for the most part of ignoramuses,
and natural tyrants.
Sure of themselves, strong in their own opinions,
never doubting anything. Your comments always lighten
things up.

Toni Lavis well said with respect CM and I do respect you and your right to your view
Your use of that word COMMUNIST dates you, to a time long ago they actually existed
Never went to a Labor National conference but many state and country Labor ones
Reality is right now the center unity group, our parties engine,will be watering down the excesses of the left.
Any honest observer will, if they research it, find we emerge with a policy agenda not at all leftist
We tread very nearly in the footsteps of a 1950, and 60,s Sir Robert Menzies Liberal party
CONSERVATIVE, just as the American use of the word Liberal, as opposed to our use of it, needs addressing, two very different things exist in the space