Blind Followers and Educated Supporters: My Lesson from the Last Day of CPAC

Today the talks that I enjoyed the most came from discussion panels, not the main speakers. My favorite was "Repealing Obamacare: In The States, In Courts, and In Congress." Betsy McCaughey gave a passionate, straightforward argument that explained why Obamacare was bad, and more importantly, what could be done to fix it. She discussed the ~16000 IRS jobs created in the 2,000 page bill, the ~150 new bureaucratic agencies it called for to administer healthcare, and the unconstitutionality of the rights granted to the government by the document that managed to pass through Congress unread. Whether you are a liberal or a conservative, it is hard to deny that mandating people to buy health insurance and regulating how doctors treat privately insured patients violates the rights and liberties laid out in the Constitution. I read more about Betsy's ideas and plans at http://www.defendyourhealthcare.us/home.html.

"How to Think About Afghanistan" was also an interesting discussion panel. Most of the time, conservatives fervently discuss the importance of asserting America's strength through military means and force. This panel of experts recognized that importance, but took the time to point out some of the flaws the rush to military force in Afghanistan can sometimes create. They acknowledged that America is spending too much, that nation-building in Afghanistan is unnecessary, and that nation-building is deeply "unconservative" because of its objective to push (a certain type of) governmental control and culture into the citizens' lives.

Overall, I enjoyed the speeches by the more well-known speakers that got the crowd fired up to go out and make a difference through their display and fight for conservative values, but I think I enjoyed the panels more because they really made me think about what I believe and why. They, along with Ron Paul's blind followers, emphasized to me the most significant lesson I have learned over my three trips to CPAC: the importance of listening and questioning leaders and their individual issue ideas, instead of following what seems to be popular. At my first CPAC, I would stand up and clap whenever the rest of the audience did; now I only do so when I truly understand and support the statements being made. That may not seem like a big deal to you, but it is to me.

CPAC has been fun, but I'm ready to go back to Bowling Green.

Ali