Homes that fly the American flag and people that wear an American flag pin are more than likely to be conservative. Conservatives are much more patriotic than liberals who want America to be a socialistic state and forever destroy capitalism. This method is about 75% accurate.

A person’s car is one clue. Liberals are more likely to be driving a small fuel efficient car, while conservatives are more likely to drive larger SUVs and pickup trucks. This method is about 65% accurate.

Bumper stickers, license plates, and car accessories are also clues. A bumper sticker can be the best clues because the show political candidates they voted for and groups’ they support such as the NRA, PETA, or environmental organizations. License plates from Massachusetts, New York, or California are big clues since registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by over 20 points in these states. Meanwhile; a gun rack in a pickup truck is a good clue the person is conservative.

A person’s job or hobby is also a good clue to someone’s political ideology. For instance, a person working for an organic farm is more than likely to be liberal while a person who likes to hunt and fish is more than likely going to be conservative. White collar workers tend to be conservative while blue collar workers (especially those tied to unions) are liberal. Meanwhile most educators are liberal.

A person’s race and English dialects can be a dead giveaway to one’s ideology. Most minorities (Hispanics, African-Americans, and Asian Americans) are liberals (70%). A person talking with a New England or New York accent is more than likely going to be liberal whereas; a person with a deep southern accent is more than likely going to be conservative. Even gender is a slight clue since women (especially so called feminists) have liberal tendencies and men have conservative tendencies.

A person’s religious affiliation is also a clue. Jewish-Americans are two-thirds likely to be liberal whereas; avid evangelical Christians are nearly 80% likely to be conservative.

A person’s sexual orientation is also a strong indicator of political affiliation. Gays, homosexuals, lesbians, transgender, and transvestites are over 80% more likely to be a liberal than conservative.

A person’s place of residence is also an excellent clue to understand one’s political ideology. People living in cities are 70% likely to be liberals while people living in rural areas are 70% likely to be conservative.

Even more subtle clues such a person’s attire and grooming skills can yield clues that reveal political ideology. Well dressed and groomed individuals lean conservative (liberal elitists fit this mold as well) whereas; more earthy looking people are liberal.   

Remember that generalizations are harmful, but there is nothing wrong with being observant.  

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

When the social security act was passed in 1930s, it was considered a success. When Medicaid, Medicare, and other entitlements passed in the 1960s, they too were considered a success. But if we look at our current budget, it is hard to say that these entitlement programs are a success, especially if the government is spending more than it takes in to support these social programs. And what’s worse, no one is willing to reform the programs to make them more solvent. So it begs to reason that when the new healthcare reform bill starts to negatively affect the nation’s financial wellbeing – will anyone have the fortitude to step forward and reform the bill? I seriously doubt it! But it is important to remember that the healthcare reform bill will become a burden on our federal budget; it is just a matter of time.

There seems to be a commonality with these massive entitlement bills that Congress has passed over the years – they fail the test of time. Why do they fail the test of time? The main reason is that bills are written for the current time period. In other words, there is no strategic vision and therefore, the bills fail to incorporate risk mitigation plans to keep up with the changing times. For example, legislation routinely forgets to take into account growing populations, especially those living in poverty, and other trends such as rapidly increasing life expectancies and the overall aging of our population.

I have a much different view of success than our legislators. Success means the projects, proposals, laws, and bills must pass the test of time. They must be successful over the entire duration of the process. Apollo 11 was not a successful mission because they landed on the moon. No, Apollo 11 was a successful mission because they not only landed on the moon, but they returned home safely. As a climber, I see many people celebrate on the top of peaks. I never celebrate until I return home safely. There are thousands of climbers that have died descending from peaks. In fact, most deaths occur on the way down, not up. This makes sense because climbers are more tired and more susceptible to make a critical mistake. The same is true with legislation; its solvency becomes more susceptible to failures the longer it remains the law of the land.  

Success is not the planning or implementation of a bill, piece of legislation, or a project. Success is the ability of a bill or project to adjust when faced with adversity. Success is ability of a bill or project to overcome and mitigate risks especially when faced with unplanned extenuating circumstances. Success is the ability of a bill or project to remain on course. For instance, it is not a success to climb Everest only to die on the decent and Apollo 11 would not have been a success if the astronauts did not come home alive. It is the same thing for bills and legislation; they must achieve their goals throughout the lifetime of their existence, not just on day 1.

Liberals may see this essay as a reason or excuse to measure the success of our Constitution and to say it needs to be adjusted over time. This is not the case, the Constitution contains our rights and civil liberties, and this does not change over time.

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)