Where have all the conservatives gone? I hear a lot about conservative and conservative values, and today I shake my head. I was born and raised in a conservative home. My father was a Republican and a fan of Barry Goldwater. Conservatives at one time had values. Limited government was once a conservative value. Free markets were once a conservative value. Individual liberty was once a conservative value. Traditional social structures were once a conservative value. Let's look at what is happening today.

When it comes to economic policy, traditional conservatism has pushed for Free markets, Low taxes, and Fiscal restraint. Today's so-called conservatives cut taxes, increases spending, and instead of free trade, they practice protectionism. Cutting taxes and increasing spending has made the deficit explode more so than at any point in our history, and then turn around and blame the poor and the services they need as the reason why the deficit is exploding. They have intentionally kept wages low as prices rise. The last time the minimum wage was raised was in 2009. The spending power of one dollar in 2009 is 70 percent of that in 2024. I looked up the wealth of the Walton Family in 2009, and it was a gross $90 billion. By 2025, it is be an even grosser $432 billion. The minimum wage during that same period did not change, yet many billionaires increased their worth by a huge sum. Cutting taxes for billionaires while not increasing wages, which could have offset some of the cuts, is what I call being fiscally irresponsible.

Protectionism, also called tariffs, has been an anti-conservative solution when it comes to the economy and trade. Free trade and competition are supposed to be good for the consumer. Tariffs are inflationary, and much of the costs are passed onto the consumer, no matter what the Trump administration says. Bananas have risen 4.9 percent. There has been an increase in the price we pay at the grocery store; we now have a 5.3 percent increase in our groceries. I was always told that Free Trade and Competition were the staples of a good economy and were good for the consumer. Trump campaigned on bringing prices down, and tariffs are not the way to accomplish that.

When it comes to foreign policy, Conservatives were strong on international alliances and strong defense. I had always thought that being a part of NATO was a major part of our national security. If Europe were to fall, we would be isolated. Our alliances not only kept our friends safe but also ourselves safe, too. We have a war going on in Ukraine, and I fear that if Ukraine falls, then another nation like Poland would be next. I have always thought our membership in NATO has been a huge deterrent to World War III.  Without the alliance, it weakens all of Europe and the U.S. If the alliance folds, I feel it would just be another invitation for Russian aggression. Of course, Trump has preached Isolationism and NATO skepticism, which I feel weakens our nation. Both Russia and China are increasing their influence in the Western Hemisphere. The more Trump isolates us, the weaker I fear we become.

When it came to immigration, the conservatives were for controlled borders and legal pathways. That was not much different from many of the Democrats. I have never met anyone who was in favor of open borders, and we have never had open borders in my lifetime. Every President has deported illegal immigrants, and the people who should have been coming up with a sound border policy are not the Presidents; it has always been the responsibility of Congress to pass laws to solve the problem. Now, Trump has taken such a hard line that he has bypassed all due process and throws immigrants, legal or illegal, into cages. He separates children from their parents. Many of today's conservatives want to ban all Muslims.

When it came to the Judiciary, the conservatives were in favor of Originalist Judges and the rule of law. Conservative judges are still considered Originalist Judges, but today's conservatives challenge judicial independence. In fact, today's conservatives attack our judges and the rule of law regularly. Today, the Free Press and the Freedom of Speech are under attack by the Trump administration. They threaten our newspapers with lawsuits, and they have threatened networks for airing material that they deem to question the executive branch and the MAGA movement. If you don’t believe me, just ask Jimmy Kimmel.

Conservatives were the traditional values and religious liberty people. Today, they are aligned strongly with the religious right, and their personal conduct does not align with the teachings of the Gospels at all. We have a President who has been married three times, and I believe he has cheated on at least two of them. It has been reported that he has been named in the Epstein investigation, but has not allowed the Department of Justice to release the entire investigation. Our Department of Justice is protecting pedophiles who have molested scores of children. They protect pedophiles while denying justice and closure for the victims.

Conservatives used to believe in the separation of powers and the First Amendment. Today, they work to attack the press and even suppress the press through lawsuits. They constantly attack judges and the constitutional checks that are so important for a democracy to survive.

Today's so-called conservatives deny many of the things that the conservative movement used to cherish. They attack the personal freedoms that are spelled out in the Constitution. They attack the voting rights of the people to decide who will govern them. Free speech, due process. Freedom of the press and personal freedoms are all under attack. After writing this, I have come to believe that the Conservative movement of Barry Goldwater and the Republicans party of my father has long been dead.