Conservatism and Spelling

John Kenneth Galbraith said "The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."

Leo C. Rosten said "A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they're dead."

Mark Twain said "The radical of one century is the conservative of the next. The radical invents the views. When he has worn them out, the conservative adopts them."

P.J. O'Rouke said "The Democrats are the party of government activism, the party that says government can make you richer, smarter, taller, and get the chickweed out of your lawn. Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work, and then get elected and prove it."

Will Rogers said "The 1928 Republican Convention opened with a prayer. If the Lord can see His way clear to bless the Republican Party the way it's been carrying on, then the rest of us ought to get it without even asking."

Woodrow Wilson said "A conservative is a man who sits and thinks, mostly sits."

John Stuart Mills said Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives.

Let's discuss this last quote by John Stuart Mills. Are most stupid people conservative? I prefer the word "uneducated" rather than stupid. Are most uneducated people conservative? Better yet, are conservatives or liberals more likely to be stupid? What is the definition of "stupid"? "Tending to make poor decisions or careless mistakes" or " marked by or resulting from unreasoned thinking or acting" or "lacking in power to absorb ideas or impressions". By those definitions there are certainly stupid liberals and stupid conservatives.

But here is one thing I have noticed is a trend. Conservative people generally cannot spell. Go to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise website and click on any controversial article, letter or other topic. Then read the comments. That's ok, I'm not the greatest speller in the world either. But at least I make an attempt to insure my thoughts are clearly expressed (and that includes spelling). Also, conservative people who post on the ADE website obviously have a computer and access to the internet. They have a world of information at their fingertips. Why can't they use that information to write informed opinions (with correct spelling)?

These conservatives, who can't spell, are the same people posting comments about how our young people are poorly educated and cannot find good jobs.