# Are there any conservative policies that were actually good? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 8, 2016, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-conservative-policies-that-were-actually-good/765324 "2016-09-08T10:43:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 10
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2016, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-conservative-policies-that-were-actually-good/765324/10 "2016-09-08T13:06:44Z")
An interesting thread question. Some of the best legislation has come about via good-spirited compromise; e.g. the Clean Air Act. While rejecting any comprehensive health-care solution, some of the earlier GOP stopgaps (like Health Savings Accounts) might have made sense at least as band-aids. Some of the “left-wing anti-business” programs (Sarbanes–Oxley, Dodd-Frank) go way too far, and it is the GOP that pushes to create exemptions at least for small businesses. The GOP has useful input to offer on education matters. They are pushing for easier visas for foreigners who graduate from American Universities. I support tort reform; in fact I might go much farther than the GOP goes. However I don’t pretend this is a panacea for reducing healthcare costs. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ But please let’s keep the strawmen and partisan hyperbole to a minimum here. > [@davida03801](#): > > The distinction between conservative policy and liberal policy is quite fluid and will change over time. So what was liberal a while ago can be considered conservative now. I’ll give you two examples. > > Back in 1960 in a bid to charge up the economy JFK lowered taxes with a somewhat famous statement of “A rising tide lifts all boats”. Now to liberals and progressives that is anathema. > > Also back in the day from the 1930’s till perhaps about 1990 or so same time period it was liberals who supported and protested for free speech. No suppression of speech of any kind, even the abhorrent kind. That is no longer true. Liberals and progresses only want approved speech for those they approve of. Any other kind of speech should be oppressed. > > As for me I support low taxes, and free speech for all. I suspect you would now in 2016 call these conservative policies. They once were liberal and I supported them, they now are conservative and I support both now. I was so astounded by this response that I spent my only-once-every-five-minutes search on David’s recent posts. Here’s just one: > [@Anti-Trump bigot?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-trump-bigot/762355/125): > > Back in the 1840’s it was the Democrats that supported slavery, and in the years after the Civil War it was the Democrats that ran the south bringing about the Jim Crow laws, _ **encouraged the KKK** _, and in any way possible keeping black folk down… > It was the Republicans under Lincoln that freed the slaves, and under T Roosevelt in the 1890’s that broke up the trusts… > > _ **So to say that only libs, democrats and progressives are the ones on the side of improving the cause of those down is bullshit, and historically not accurate.** _ [my emphasis] > > Furthermore from the point of view of those whose incomes have dropped a significant percentage in the past 10-12 years, or who in that great mass of people no longer working but want to, plus a whole other series of issues it seems to them the Dems, libs and progressives of the world are concerned with everything else except them. Note the cutesy “equation” implied Libs & Progressives ~= Democrats ~= KKK supporters --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-conservative-policies-that-were-actually-good/765324)._