Column by Adam French

Before reading this column, I want every one reading to know three important things about me: I am not a health care expert, have not read all 3,000-plus pages of the health care bill, nor do I claim to personally be able to fix the broken health care system, and I am conservative and believe in a conservative point of view to fixing our country’s woes.

This does not necessarily mean “Republican,” it means “conservative,” so I am not playing that particular trumpet when I write this.

Let me define “conservative” for my more liberal readers: being conservative does not mean I don’t care about the environment. It does not mean I ignore poor people. It does not mean I am a warmonger. It does not mean I have oil with my Cheerios. It does not mean I kick kittens for fun on Sundays.

Being conservative — which matches how a vast majority of Americans think, whether they know it or not — means being frugal and fiscally responsible with our money.

It means being realistic, transparent and common-sense based with our solutions to fixing America’s woes. It means supporting state sovereignty. It means being efficient with our government — if that means a “smaller government,” than so be it.

It means offering a “hand-up” as opposed to a “hand-out.” It means protecting our country against enemies. It means being wary of anything that resembles socialism. It means believing in a market-driven economy. It means promoting capitalism and business success, both big and small. It means holding people accountable for themselves, and it means protecting America’s status as a world power, both now and in the future. It means taxing people as fairly and as minimally as possible while still providing for their basic needs.

That pretty much sums up the reason I think the way I do. That platform is how I make my voting decisions, how I live my life, and how I desire our country to be run.

It is a bit idealistic, and I realize that, but it is also the school of thought for a vast majority of hard-working, flag-waving, taxpaying Americans whose hearts do not bleed for those who do not hold themselves accountable and have found it easier to accept a handout rather than empower or enrich themselves.

The trillion-dollar question in Washington right now, as I see it, is where did that school of thought disappear to among our nation’s leaders? Why is it the conservative approach has disappeared among our policymakers?

We conservatives knew our viewpoint was endangered when President Barack Obama took office and the more liberal of the two parties took control of the House and Senate. However — and contrary to what the serpent-tongued liberals say about us — we gave it a chance because that’s what the democratic system of government that we so greatly believe in dictates for us to do.

We gave them a chance to bring about the “change” that got them all elected, and they certainly have “changed” an awful lot. But they completely forgot about us.

Sure, we have some representation in Congress but not enough to make a difference or have input, which makes us beholden to their leftist agenda.

As such, our vast constituency has been alienated, our approach has been ignored and the results are so far away from what we believe in that I’m scared for what the future of our country has in store for itself.

I am not saying we are always right, but shouldn’t our viewpoint at least be considered, as so many Americans feel the way we do? Shouldn’t there be some type of check or balance to an entire federal leadership team that is of the same school of thought?

The only things I have agreed with Obama on were his picks to win the NCAA Tournament each year. Other than that, most all of his “change” has gone against the grain of conservative America.

Bailing out failing businesses?  Definitely against the idea of a market-driven economy. Throwing money around and diluting our currency to the tune of trillions of dollars? Not something we can get behind — a short-term boost that sets up a long-term problem.

Passing a health care bill that ignores the real problems of predatory pricing by hospitals, doctors and insurance companies (as well as the outlandish malpractice litigation that leads to this) that will again cost our government more than a trillion dollars and permanently entrench them in our health care system?

Like I even need to comment. Welcome to socialism. Manipulating the rules system in place for bringing the bill to a vote? Zesty.

While granting health insurance access to 32 million uninsured Americans is a good thing and will hopefully lead to an end of the practice of bill-paying patients footing the bill for the uninsured, this is an expensive endeavor without a clear idea as to its return on investment and a borderline “handout.”

Passing a 3,000-plus-page bill touching every single American without hardly any of them understanding how it will truly affect them? Great!

I’m sure we’ll all benefit; we’ll just take your word for it, Mr. Half-million-dollar-photo-op-of-Air-Force-One-flying-over-Manhattan-and-causing-9/11-flashbacks man.

Making states totally against this legislation enact it — 13 states have entered litigation to block it; seven of eight Kentucky federal delegates were against it, and so on — pretty much kills the states’ rights way of thinking.

Oh, and while we’re at it, great job, Obama, in putting America’s AAA bond/credit ranking on the “watch list.” That whooshing sound you hear is President Reagan spinning in his grave.

What I’m saying is the policies and “change” of the Obama tenure have totally ignored the conservative viewpoint, have made no effort to include it and will continue to alienate voters like me who are more than eager for Election Day 2012.

In the meantime, we will grin and bear it and hope the midterm elections allow for a Republican majority in at least one of the houses of the legislative branch, so the conservative viewpoint that so much of America is centered around can at least be considered in these very important decisions that our country is forced to make in these turbulent times.

Again, I’m not saying our viewpoint is always right — I just think it needs to be considered.