Liberals, Conservatives and Selfishness

Liberals are always trying to project this image of selflessness and compassion when in reality it's just not true. To make matters worse, liberals are always going out of their way to try and paint conservatives as selfish and non compassionate. Well, this just isn't so, and according to many polls and surveys it is actually the liberals who are the more selfish ones.

There's a book that came out over the summer I believe by Peter Shweizer called Makers and Takers: Why Conservatives Work Harder, Feel Happier, Have Closer Families, Take Fewer Drugs, Give More Generously, Value Honesty More, Are Less Materialistic and Envious, Whine Less . . . and Even Hug Their Children More Than Liberals. Peters book claims that liberals are much more likely than conservatives to think about themselves first and are less willing to make sacrifices for others.

Basically the data was compiled from a boat load of attitude surveys done in the last 8 years or so. Anyhow, some of the results may surprise you especially if you live in that little liberal bubble of elitism and snobbery. Chew on this:

Some 71 percent of conservatives say they have an obligation to care for a seriously injured spouse or parent, compared with 46 percent for liberals. Asked if they would endure all things for the one they love, 55 percent of conservatives say yes, compared with 26 percent of liberals.

Equally revealing, liberals are far more likely to say they are depressed and to view the world bleakly. Schweizer attributes that to an attitude that they and those around them are victims and helpless unless the government intervenes. I suppose this victim mentality is one reason that liberals are so fond of the stimulus bill. They feel that those who "lose" are victims. Liberals reject the notion of responsibility and consequence.

One can easily observe the fact that the media and liberal professors have successfully obscured these differences by painting a picture of conservatives as mean-spirited.

Conservatives are selfish, Robert Reich, Bill Clinton's former labor secretary, has said, and they pander to the worst of us.

Sen. Charles Schumer said on Bill Maher's HBO show Real Time, There are some, you know, there are some anti-Semites in this county, but most of them would vote Republican anyway.

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean has said conservatives and Republicans are evil, corrupt, brain-dead, and not very nice people who have never made an honest living in their lives.

If Schweizer's book is a ground-breaker, it also raises the question of why Schweizer's findings may come as a surprise even to conservatives. Schweizer cites ample evidence that the media have ignored good news about conservatives and have helped perpetuate the myth that liberals are more compassionate and caring.

Katie Couric has said that during the Reagan era, "greed and materialism was the norm. Alan Colmes of Fox News "Hannity & Colmes" has said that Jesus was a liberal because he was much more generous with limited resources than a conservative would be. The nonsense just overfloweth!

Liberals perpetuate these myths because it simply conforms to their world view. But hard polling data refutes this nonsense. Of course you will never see a liberal admit it, but it's true. Read on.

Schweizer writes, self-described liberals and Democrats, who profess to be tolerant, are much more likely to embrace stereotypes of Jews than conservatives or Republicans. Some 45 percent of self-described "strong" Democrats or liberals agree with the statement that Jews are inordinately rich and money-driven, compared with 36 percent of strong Republicans and conservatives. This is evident on many left wing blogs as well, just visit Perkisets and you'll see that tolerance is preached but not practiced!

Schweizer cites similar research to show that even when they are in the same income brackets, liberals are far more likely to complain about their jobs, families, neighbors, health, and their relative wealth than conservatives.

Liberals are much more likely to say that money is important to them, according to the surveys Schweizer cites. They are two and a half times more likely to be resentful of others success and 50 percent more likely to be jealous of other people's good luck. Conservatives are much more likely than liberals to spend time with their families, hug their children, and be close to their parents.

Liberals tend to work less hard and are more likely than conservatives to embrace leisure time as desirable. When asked if competition is good, those who defined themselves as very liberal say yes only 14 percent of the time, compared with 43 percent for conservatives.

Liberals are more likely to say that truth is something that is relative. When asked if they believe in ghosts, 42 percent of liberals say they do, compared with 25 percent of conservatives. Liberals are more likely to say that's it's OK to be dishonest or deceptive, cheat on taxes, keep money that doesn't belong to them, and sell a used car with a faulty transmission to a family member.

Overall, conservatives are more satisfied with their lives, their professions, and their health compared with liberals of the same age and income level.

Schweizer balances these findings with a few issues where liberals come out ahead. He says liberals are more likely than conservatives to be open to new experiences in travel, art, and music. But Schweizer exposes hypocrisy at the core of liberal beliefs. While liberals claim to be compassionate and to care about the poor, conservatives are much more likely to donate their time and money to charitable causes.

When Reich ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2002, his tax returns revealed income of more than $1 million, but he contributed just $2,714 to charity, or less than 0.3 percent.

Ned Lamont, the anti-war Democrat who ran against Sen. Joe Lieberman in Connecticut, is worth $200 million and made $2.8 million in 2005. He has talked about the need to raise taxes because the wealthy are not doing enough to help those in need. Yet in 2005, he donated only $5,385 to charity, or less than 0.2 percent of his income.

In contrast, George Bush gave 10 percent of his income to charity in 2005. In 2005, Barack Obama made $1.7 million, or 2.5 times what Bush made that year, but gave the same amount to charity as Bush did. That same year, Dick Cheney gave away 77 percent of his income to charity.

As Schweizers book proves, Liberals talk the talk but don't walk the walk. Perhaps they are so selfish because they don't believe in God? Could be...