A person’s core values

I’ve always been leery of people who preface letters to the Voices page by saying things like “I used to be a Baptist” or I used to be a Republican.” When one has true core values and beliefs, it’s difficult if not impossible to change. Those values are what drive you and help you keep the faith you’ll get through the day and be better for it. Yes, one can temporarily slip away from those core values, but they’re always there, seated in our character, in our hearts and our very own being.

In 1852, Alvan E. Bovay met with Horace Greeley in New York to attempt to break up the Whig party and to bring together anti-slavery elements to form a new party. It took two more years to build the new Republican Party. It was comprised of Whigs, Democrats and free-soilers, all of whom shared similar “core values” even though they were from different parties.

I’ll not get into the religious core values, but will say this about political core values. Not all Republicans have Republican core values and they most likely never did. A lot of Democrats don’t have Democratic core values either. There are extremists in both parties who seek to destroy. My entire family were Democrats with Republican core values but just did not know it. Limited government, low taxes, controlled immigration, right to bear arms, restrictions on abortion (with exceptions), deregulation where possible, maintaining law and order, freedom from government overreach, a strong national defense, a quality public education free of mandates that divide our children and force them into racist mentalities, and capitalism where everyone is free to be all they want to be.

You either have these core values, or you don’t and most likely never did. BILL CORLEY

Benton