George Orwell once wrote that politics was closely related to social identity. 'One sometimes gets the impression,' he wrote in The Road To Wigan Pier, 'that the mere words socialism and communism draw towards them with magnetic force every fruit-juice drinker, nudist, sandal-wearer, sex-maniac, Quaker, nature-cure quack, pacifist and feminist in England'.

Orwell was making an observation. But today a whole body of academic research shows he was correct: your politics influence the manner in which you live your life. And the news is not so good for those on the political Left.

There is plenty of data that shows that Right-wingers are happier, more generous to charities, less likely to commit suicide - and even hug their children more than those on the Left.

Labels: conservative, liberal, values

The headline may seem like a trick question -- even a dangerous one -- to ask during an election year. And notice, please, that I didn't ask whether certain politicians are more honest than others. (Politicians are a different species altogether.) Yet there is a striking gap between the manner in which liberals and conservatives address the issue of honesty.

Consider these results:

Is it OK to cheat on your taxes? A total of 57 percent of those who described themselves as "very liberal" said yes in response to the World Values Survey, compared with only 20 percent of those who are "very conservative." When Pew Research asked whether it was "morally wrong" to cheat Uncle Sam, 86 percent of conservatives agreed, compared with only 68 percent of liberals.

Ponder this scenario, offered by the National Cultural Values Survey: "You lose your job. Your friend's company is looking for someone to do temporary work. They are willing to pay the person in cash to avoid taxes and allow the person to still collect unemployment. What would you do?"

Almost half, or 49 percent, of self-described progressives would go along with the scheme, but only 21 percent of conservatives said they would.

Labels: conservative, honesty, liberal

The Latest Headlines... Politicians Are a Drag On The Market McCain-Feingold vs. NASCAR Club Wins "Best Business Blog" Award Two Big Pro-Growth Events The Week's Best Pro-Growth Articles

Politicians Are a Drag On The Market Here's a shocker: When politicians get together in Washington, DC, the stock market underperforms. For 2006, the stock market (S&P 500) had a total return of only 2.25% while Congress was in session. Conversely, the return was 11.56% when they were out of session! The historical numbers are even more astounding. Click here to learn more. McCain-Feingold vs. NASCAR Ryan Sager recently wrote an article in the New York Post that will make you sick. Here's the opening salvo: It looks like John McCain has a little explaining to do to the NASCAR set. Kirk Shelmerdine - one of the greatest pit-crew chiefs ever, most famously for the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr. - is today engaged in a less-successful second career as a driver. But to the Federal Election Commission, he's just a reckless campaign-finance law violator. The day after Christmas, the FEC announced that it was sending Shelmerdine a "letter of admonishment" for his actions during the 2004 presidential campaign - namely, putting a "Bush/Cheney '04" decal on a panel of his car for a total of four races. Take a deep breath, and then click here to read the rest. Club Wins "Best Business Blog" Award For the second year in a row, the Club's website won the "Best Business Blog" award. Thanks to all the Club members and supporters who voted for us! If you haven't already visited it, the Club's blog is a one-stop-shop for economic and political news! Two Big Pro-Growth Events The Club will be hosting its annual Winter Conference from March 30 to April 1 in sunny Palm Beach, Florida. You'll have strictly off-the record conversations with America's leading fiscal conservative, pro-growth U.S. House and Senate members and potential presidential candidates. Plus, you'll get insider accounts from top strategists and policymakers of Republicans' plans for the next Congress and the 2008 presidential campaigns. To register, click here before February 20. Space is limited. If you have any questions, please contact Stacy French at sfrench@clubforgrowth.org or (202) 955-5500. Also, our good friends at National Review will be hosting a "Conservative Summit" on January 26 - 28, 2007 here in Washington, DC. There will be several heavyweights there, including Newt Gingrich, Michael Steele, and our very own, Pat Toomey. Click here to get more information. The Week's Best Pro-Growth Articles Below are some great pro-growth articles and political news items that we took from the Club for Growth blog over the past week: Misguided Deficit Spending - M.K. Ham, Townhall.com Cheap Populism - IBD Editorial An Open Letter to Lou Dobbs - Don Boudreaux, CS Monitor What the Congress Can Do for America - George Bush, WSJ Open Secrets - Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker A Bumper-Sticker Menace? - Ryan Sager, New York Post If you ever want to remove email address information from your membership to the Club for Growth, just click here.

Labels: cfg, conservative

Poverty, taxation, government and the economy
Posted by: McQ on Friday, December 15, 2006

The Goldwater Institute just did a very interesting study (pdf) concerning poverty, taxes and government spending. It's conclusions seem to validate classical liberal economic theory concerning the best way to address poverty.

It measured overall poverty and childhood poverty in all 50 states and any reduction or gains within those two categories when compared to the national average between 1990 and 2000. Their findings: (link)

Labels: conservative, economy, poverty, taxes