Common Sense, Conservatism, Parties and Other Meaningless Words

By Russ Minary | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” —Inigo Montoya, “The Princess Bride”

People use words like common sense or conservatism. Here’s the problem: either words have precise meanings in certain contexts, or they mean precisely nothing. In this article, I’ll put some definitions around a few words – to create some objective truth for a dialogue among reasonable people. Good people can disagree, but so can bad people.

First, common sense is a false premise. People often say, “Well, that’s just common sense!” But they can’t precisely define the term they just used. Thus, they provide no truth for what they suggest is truth which makes no sense.

If common sense did exist, the majority of people would have it. They would see the ‘common sense’ in important matters that impact most of us every day like: taxes, laws, parenting, public safety, immigration, welfare, food, romance, law and order, property, money and more. And we would all work together. But we don’t. So there is massive disagreement and division over many things leading to anger, frustration, division, conflict and sometimes violence. Congress, for example cannot seem to agree on any major issue concerning all legal, taxpaying American citizens and voters. With the exceptions of war or law enforcement, violence is not a productive way to solve problems or deal with those with whom we disagree. You can’t persuade a person by insulting them, punching them in the mouth or shooting them.

Second, some truth is self-evident. So any reasonable person of average intelligence would recognize it. Both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution are full of examples. You should take the time to read them. 

Despite any visible or physical similarities (like color, gender, etc) we are all individuals with personal abilities, experiences, beliefs, opinions and biases which inform our choices about everything we have, do, think, believe and say. Unlike animals (like zebras or bees), every human being is unique and has free will. That is diversity at its most fundamental level. 

The Declaration of Independence (the foundational document of our Republic) says that we are all endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, among which are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (my paraphrase). So, two very important things are true: 

1. OUR rights come from God; not the government. If our rights come from the government, then the government can decide which rights we can or cannot have. That is the definition of tyranny and despotism.
2. OUR God-given rights are unalienable which means they cannot be separated, given away, or taken away from us as individuals. Your rights are your rights. 

The First Amendment (in the Bill of Rights in our U.S. Constitution) states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”  In other words, the powers of Congress (and our entire government) are limited in scope. At the same time, civil order is necessary and good for all people, and requires both laws and law enforcement.   

Our American political system is based on the premise that during every election cycle, people take sides and vote as they wish. So, after every election, some people (the winners) are happy, and some people (the losers) are unhappy. 

NOTE: no legal citizen is compelled to vote but every legal citizen has the right to vote. People who vote determine election outcomes. 

Third, I believe that conservatism must be defined to be useful. One can be conservative in many matters including: fiscal policy, taxation, law and order, family and marriage, safe communities, governance, religion and many others. In May 2025, I wrote an article entitled “Common principles of Conservatism and why they matter in Colorado,” in which I described 12 issues upon which most conservatives might agree. It was not an absolute litmus test which requires agreement or compliance, but rather, an effort to start some positive discussion based upon common, clear terms. We could all use more of that and perhaps less of social media…  

Fourth, the two biggest political parties have fallen out of favor, for good reasons. It’s not due to a lack of parties; there are about 238 parties recognized at State levels. Parties have become nearly irrelevant to a significant percentage of average Americans. For example, Colorado’s largest voter bloc (about 52% and growing) is ‘Unaffiliated.’  In layman’s terms that means “I don’t like either Republicans or Democrats.” Sadly, our leaders would rather fight with each other than clearly articulate and agree upon ideas that define us or could appeal to most voters. Like the Constitution.

Both here in CO and across the nation, the traditional ‘R’ or ‘D’ by a candidate name no longer identifies the values of their party or platform. People vote for a D or R candidate thinking that the candidate may support or advocate for certain views or principles, like in the days of Reagan or FDR. That is clearly not true. 

For example, the U.S. federal debt has ballooned to $39 TRILLION DOLLARS and increases by ONE TRILLION DOLLARS every 100 days. Here in CO, we now have a budget deficit (overspending without sufficient money) estimated at $1-1.6 BILLION DOLLARS. The ‘R’s and ‘D’s have both been complicit in this mess.

I am not a math guy, so let’s try to define these amounts in a practical way. There are 31,556,952 seconds in one year (365.25 days). You’d have to spend one dollar every second for 31.68 years to add up to just one billion. A trillion is 1,000 billion. You can do the rest of the math. The sheer immensity of the debt is incomprehensible. 

Yet, neither ‘party’ seems willing to implement any meaningful cuts in any area of government. Instead, they cut funding and programs for which taxpayers have already paid – like Medicare, Social Security, infrastructure, maintenance of roads and bridges, water storage and dams, etc. And then they blame ‘the other guys.’   

And at the bottom of this cascade of irresponsible spending is the taxpayer – you and me. You and I, and our grandchildren, will pick up the tab for this party. Whether we like it or not. If you or I were engaged in the same kinds of spending behavior as our government, we would be subject to criminal prosecution, fines or jail. Yet the government and many (not all) elected officials and bureaucrats still use our money for their pet projects. 

Fifth, I believe that TRUTH exists in certain contexts. Truth can be either OBJECTIVE or SUBJECTIVE. Objective truth is based on facts and is not influenced by personal feelings or opinions, while subjective truth is based on personal opinions, emotions, or interpretations. Essentially, objective statements can be verified, whereas subjective statements vary from person to person. 

Objective truth can be observed, tested and proven. For example, it is objectively true that gravity exists. Test: if you don’t believe in gravity, try jumping from a tall building (please don’t do this, take my word for it). Proof: if there was no gravity, we would all be flung off the face of the earth due to centrifugal force. But gravity, which has never been clearly explained, keeps us safely anchored to the Earth. Which is nice. 

Subjective truth is based on one’s preferences. For example, kale can be good or bad. You may eat and like it, but I neither eat nor like it because it is icky. I believe that God created kale for cattle feed, garnish and packing material. Neither view is absolutely true but they can both be tested. If you disbelieve my truth, open a restaurant that specializes in kale (but use your own money and no government grants). Common sense will prevail.

TRUTH is true for all people in all places at all times. It can be tested, observed and proven. When a party or politician makes a promise, we should be skeptical until it is delivered or fulfilled by that party or politician. That can take  time and patience, or it can be really obvious. Believe the results, not the words.

The opposite of a TRUTH is a LIE. Good liars can make very bad things sound good. Meanwhile, people who tell the truth are often demonized and disliked, but that does not change the truth they tell. Benjamin Disraeli said: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” So, numbers can lie. I tend to doubt most projections, statistics and estimates, but I tend to believe how people spend their own money. There is too much fraud, waste, abuse and corruption in our government because it’s not their money – it’s YOURS. Those who lie and steal should suffer consequences.

LAST, NEVER tolerate lies from people in positions of responsibility. Americans must expect more from those who govern, from our fellow Americans and from ourselves. Accountability is not a bad word and healthy skepticism is a good thing. If someone has purposely lied to you about something important, it should be difficult to ever trust them again. 

Before you vote for any candidate or issue, closely examine their actions. Trust but verify. Ask hard questions and demand clear answers. Do your own research on their previous public statements, professional background, past experience and their voting records. As the saying goes, “In a sound democracy, our rulers ought to be changed routinely, like diapers, and for the same reason.” THAT IS TRUE.

Russ Minary is a retired sales executive, marketing consultant, small business owner, veteran and freelance humorist. He has lived in CO for 50 years and resides in Douglas County. 

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.