Liberal:  Are you sad Obama got reelected?

Me: Yes I am.

Liberal: Why?

Me: Because I think it spells the end of good rock music.

Liberal: Of course you'd run your mouth off talking about welfare and health care and... wait, what did you say?

Me: I said I'm worried about rock music.

Liberal: Huh?

Me: I like rock music.  I'm afraid that we're going to lose good music.

Liberal: I don't follow...

Me:  Not surprising.

Liberal:  *** confused silence ***

Me: Ok, I'll explain.  I'm afraid that, by turning our back on capitalism, we're going to lose good rock music.

Liberal: huh?

Me:  This election shows that many people think they deserve assistance from the government: health care, welfare, all that.  It's not so much about going out and getting for themselves, as it is about someone else providing for us.

Liberal:  WE SHOULD ALL DO OUR FAIR SHARE!  SOME PEOPLE HAVE TOO MUCH!

Me: Oh...kay...  I appreciate the your non-sequitur outburst.  But we're talking about music, here:

If the government starts to supply a lot of things, who's going to  suppport artists - like rock musicians?

Liberal:  well, they could get some NEA help.

Me: Right! National Endowment for the Arts!  And that's just the problem: can you imagine what Aerosmith would have been like if they'd been supported by the NEA?  Or Jay-Z?

Liberal: hmmm....

Me: Look at societies where the government has sponsored all the art - societies like the Soviet Union or ancient Egypt.  Ever noticed what the art looks like?  It's all the same - and, after about five minutes, it's boring!  You see one Soviet statue, you've seen them all.

Liberal:  So, you're saying we're like Russia?  And I like Egypt!

Me: I love ancient Egypt.  But it's an accepted fact that the art is "highly stylised" -that's just a polite way of saying that it's all the same.  And, yes, I'm saying that we're moving closer to Soviet Russia.

But there's more to it:  look at times when art has been VERY creative and innovative.  It comes when artists have a chance to work out their own careers: when they're able to gain profit, to choose their own customers, to insert their own imagination in their products.

I'm talking about times like the Renaissance, or, for rock music, the 60's.  Let's face it, one of the great appeals of being a rock musician is the money and the girls (or boys, if you're female).  It's profit.  And that profit motive makes better, more innovative artists!

Liberal: huh...

Me:  Did you know that some of our first documented expressions of vibrant individual artistic expression come from Athens, after the reforms of Peisistratus?  We see vase-makers creating great art on their vases.  One of them even signs it, and then adds the note that his competitor could not have done as good a job.  Before this, vases tended to be boringly similar.  Now... they're a medium where a person's imagination and excellence can be demonstrated.  What changed?  The vase-makers had a confidence in a real, profitable career:  they had a profit motive.

Liberal: umm....

Me: Imagine what the radio would sound like if all rock music was funded by the NEA.  What's going to happen when we shut down the "money and girls" (or boys!) motivation for rock artists.  That scares me to death!


Liberal: ummm... well...

Me: So, yeah, I'm sad Obama won.  I like the passion and innovation of rock music.  That only comes when the artists can profit from their work.  If we turn our back on that capitalism, I'm afraid we're going to end up with really boring music!

I'm a conservative.

I think political conservatism in the framework of the Constitution of the United States is the best political option on the planet.

I think any honest-minded individual who examines the tenets of conservatism will embrace them.

If you're conservative - read on!  Maybe it will give you something to read about.

If you're liberal (progressive, Democrat, Republican, Rino, etc.) - READ ON!  I want to change your mind!