A staple of conservative thinking, from the “big-business” Republicans, is that government regulation stands in the way of business’ ability to maximize profit, or even make a profit.  The all-too-familiar refrain of “cut red tape” is the stock answer to any call for government action in protecting people and the environment.  This kind of thinking favors an American government which has a lack of safety (and environmental) regulations, just like the government in Communist China.

The “family values” Republicans, the so-called Christian conservatives, believe that there’s a war against God in this country.  They bemoan the fact that prayer has (supposedly) been banned from public schools, and that (an omnipotent) God has (somehow) been banished from the public square.  This belief favors an American government which mandates public prayer in school, which places the Ten Commandments in every courthouse, and which dictates how Americans should behave based on an arbitrary interpretation of the Holy Bible.  This kind of thinking wants an American government which proactively promotes a specific form of religion, just like the government in Iran.

The “security” Republicans think that it is okay for our government to eavesdrop on American citizens, without a warrant, in order to somehow protect us.   This thinking goes along the lines of “What difference does it make if the government listens in?  I’m not doing anything wrong.”  There have even been calls by some of these Americans for neighbors to spy on neighbors, for children to spy on their parents.  This kind of thinking pleads for an American government which watches all of its citizens, for their own safety, of course, just like the government did in the old Soviet Union (or in Nazi Germany).

It is always interesting to watch as the “patriotic” Republicans, the ones who tear up over the GOP national anthem (“And I’m proud to be an American…”), turn around and call some of their fellow Americans (those who don’t follow their dogma) “anti-American” or “traitors.”  Interesting, in that:

Irony: So thick you can cut it with a knife.