Reagan's three legged stool best describes my Conservatism!

By John Sykes

I’ve been trying to zero in on an image or concept that best represents my current positions. Reagan’s three legged stool best describes my Conservatism!

From Matt Barber in Conservatism, Libertarianism & Christianity

“Ronald Reagan often spoke of a ‘three-legged stool’ that undergirds true conservatism. The legs are represented by strong free-market economic principles, a strong national defense and strong social values. For the stool to remain upright, it must be supported by all three legs. If you snap off even one leg, the stool collapses under its own weight…

I for one quite like the three legged stool analogy. We certainly need all three. Strong national security is vital to any nation, and a strong moral social order is fundamental for the survival of democratic free market states. It is not a radical social agenda which exalts a nation, but righteousness (Proverbs 14:34). Conservatives can seek to offer this, but libertarians are unable to. Read more here…

Leg 1 is “Strong National Defense” and may represent the neocons of the right so I am part neocon. Very quickly though, I believe we should only be going to wars we intend to win, to defeat the will of the people strongly and quickly, staying out of nation building efforts. 

Leg 2 is “Strong Social Values”, which, in America, are primarily found in Christian & Jewish theology. Count me in the Christian camp here and decidedly not in the Libertarian camp which, in it’s extremes, is basically stuck in relativity. Absolutes reign!

Leg 3 is “Strong Free-Market Economic Principles”. On this, I am evidently Libertarian in that I believe in rational economics based on the values of production, not ephemera like the stock market, like the very fangerous Federal Reserve, like paper wealth! Inflation is bad & deflation might even be good. And I long for a gold standard.

In summary, give me the strongest possible military deterrent, an evangelical Christian set of morals, and the freest possible market place!