Why did America's Founding Fathers Hate Democracy?
Truly, they were scared of giving the everyday person the power to elect, this is why it was originally land owners could vote, because they thought at least some intelligence would reside in one who owns property. This power to the pope thing had never worked out before, when you look back t ancient cultures. Plato's Philosophy, in which inspired the founding fathers, required a virtuous leader who had knowledge, mercy, justice, and wealth, and the way to get this leader in his perspective was throughout the electing of the the richer families, so essentially aristocracy. The reason we have all of these different rep. is to try to protect the gov. from the people so the gov. can protect their natural rights.
Why are Liberals considered so "open minded" but refuse to see things from an alternate perspective?
When all is said and done, the one great divide between liberals and conservatives today in America is that liberals believe in tolerance, whereas conservatives don’t. Conservatives get ticked off at us liberals saying, “how can liberals be tolerant if they don’t tolerate intolerance?” I’ve seen that argument many times…and your question is just another way of using that same train of logic.Thing is, tolerance and intolerance are polar opposites. Just as with light and dark, both cannot occupy the same space at the same time. You either support tolerance for everyone - including colors, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and disabilities - or you don’t. There is no “middle ground”. Just as one cannot say that light isn’t light because it somehow chooses not to illuminate dark places, one cannot say that tolerance is no longer tolerance if it does not tolerate intolerance.American conservatives (unlike most conservatives around the world) generally do not believe that tolerance should be automatic for those who look/act/think/believe/worship/love differently from themselves. American liberals - like liberals (and most conservatives) around the world - generally believe in tolerance for all, as long as the tolerance doesn’t result in harming others.Don’t believe me? You can prove it for yourself. Look at your question here on Quora - have you been suspended or banned simply for politely espousing a question that seems to evince a conservative outlook? No, you haven’t. However, go to, say, Redstate-dot-org and post the exact same question with “liberals” changed to “conservatives” in your question, and watch what happens. Unless Redstate’s changed drastically, you’ll get suspended or banned (like I was).Here, you’re able to discuss things with people who think differently from you. At Redstate, I was banned for even attempting to present a different outlook. I was told by the moderators, “We don’t want you here on Redstate because we get enough of the liberal outlook from the mainstream media”.Like I said, you can try it for yourself and see how it works out…and then you will know by their actions which side is open-minded and willing to discuss perspectives…and which is not.
How did you come to be a liberal or a conservative?
I became a Conservative somewhere around 2002. I was 41 years old. There were three significant parts. I was working a contract in Houston, TX the year that Enron crashed and burned.I read this book. Koba the Dread. I never had any idea how many people Stalin had murdered and how cruel the Soviets had been. It’s really not anything that’s taught. So while people were moaning about how evil it is for 20,000 employees to be laid off, I realized that Stalin murdered that many people every month for years. And I grew up thinking that racism was worse than Communism. Plus I learned that only about 3,500 people have ever been lynched in the history of the US.I became ‘rich’. I was a highly paid consultant and I remember what it was like living in TX, (while my home is in CA) and trying to get immediate credit for my first check of about 7500. I suddenly realized how average people (like bank clerks) hate rich people, and how back-stabby people become when they are in a position to hate and spread rumors. I started noticing that kind of talk more.I stood in line at Walmart to buy something and I witnessed about 6 completely different kinds of people buying very different things and even paying differently. And then I suddenly understood how markets create opportunity for everyone.I ended ‘being’ a Conservative somewhere around 2010. Maybe before. The dates aren’t so important. I primarily recognized how Republicans fight against being proper Conservatives (by which I mean Hayekian Conservatives). In that retrospective it helped me understand what was wrong with being a Progressive.[1] That writing brings more of the spirit of feeling to what I was going through.Footnotes[1] Found Writings, Liberal Narratives & A Strange Realization
What is Ayn Rand philosophy of objectivism all about?
It is ironically funny that Jake says Wiki explains it well, when he doesn't like Objectivism. The Wiki ariticle was written by Ayn Rand's chosen heir, the man who is allowed to speak in her name, Leonard Peikoff. Here is Rand's own description of Objectivism. http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/object... The third one is important to understand. It explains the basics. How to translate those basics into everyday philosophy-of-living is more difficult, but once you understand the philosophy better, it becomes easier. Her first work, a novelette called "Anthem" has been called the most beautiful prose poem in the English language. You can read it in an hour or two depending on your speed. The whole thing is here http://www.noblesoul.com/orc/texts/anthe... Chapter 11 is very revealing about how she believes the human soul is the most important thing any human owns. It goes right along, as she explains it other places, with Thomas Jefferson's ideal of the political "individual sovereign", the minority of one. As for political parties, many of her followers voted for Ronald Reagan because of his political strength and commitment to America. He angered her, however, by his insistence that abortion was wrong, but if she had lived long enough to see how he was able to help bring down Soviet Russia and the Berlin Wall and end the Cold War, she would have been satisfied. Ron Paul is the closest thing to an Objectivist in Congress, and if he runs for the Presidency, even as a 3rd party, he might win this time.