I've spent quite a lot of time wondering how people living in the same society and exposed to the same general culture can develop such drastic fundamental differences in philosophy.

Debating the issues with them often leads nowhere because the most well articulated argument for your position doesn't even seem to register. Likewise, you can't imagine what the liberal is driving at when he/she attempts to make a point. It's very interesting but fairly unproductive.

It finally struck me that we not only stand at two entirely different positions on the philosophical landscape but those very same positions provide us an entirely different vantage point and Liberals just happen to be viewing from the wrong one. As a general rule Republicans are philosophical pragmatists but operational idealists. Democrats, generally, are philosophical idealists and operational pragmatists. Basically, Republicans make every effort to deal with reality while Democrats can't handle it and want to change the very nature of human beings.

As a Republican I realize that humans, by nature, are ultimately going to look after themselves and their families first. It's the emotional and intellectual glue that binds families together within communities and binds communities together within a nation. Republicans see the best opportunity for our society is to support a culture, which caters to human nature and pleas to our better angels. Give people the opportunity to achieve great wealth and many will work for it and, at the least, provide for themselves. Give these same people the opportunity to share the wealth voluntarily, as a virtuous act and many will. This method requires minimal government oversight and places both the freedom and responsibility on the citizen.

Democrats see humans as extremely selfish and unwilling to share our good fortune while others or unable to provide for themselves. Democrats want the virtue of charity to be mandated by law, failing to realize that with mandated charity comes sloth and laziness: Some will choose to let themselves be taken care of. Since the productive person is now parting with the results of their labor by force they lack the freedom to choose where and when to dispense charity themselves. In the Democrat world government oversight must increase while individual freedom must be diminished. As a result, sense of responsibility is diminished and individuals lose the ability to understand burden and responsibility, ultimately undermining the foundation of our country: individual responsibility.

We have seen the results of this with the abuse of " Great Society " programs and the recurring efforts to " fix " the system by placing new burdens and requirements upon the recipients of government mandated charity. These changes usually create additional undesired behavior, forcing yet more " fixes ", until the entire system becomes so complex that only full-time supplicants can gain benefit from it.

The sooner charity is returned to the hands of individuals and the bond of obligation on the part of the recipient is made with the virtue of charity on the part of the Samaritan the welfare state will continue to implode. Unfortunately, the liberals of the left can't handle the truth.