"Compassionate" Conservatism?
OK. So let me see if I understand Compassionate Conservatism (aka Neo-Conservatism aka right-wing conservatism) correctly:
Compassionate Conservatives (aka Neo-Conservatives aka right-wing conservatives) believe it is ok to execute people as a form of punishment (the death penalty -- Texas, home of President Bush who was formerly Governor of Texas, and home of Representative Tom Delay, being the state with the most executions). It is also ok to torture people, spy on people, and take away and semblance of personal freedom.
Compassionate Conservatives (aka Neo-Conservatives aka right-wing conservatives) believe it is ok to send US citizens to fight and die in a war against a country that was not a threat to the US (so long as none of the US Citizens that are sent are friends or relatives of theirs).
Compassionate Conservatives (aka Neo-Conservatives aka right-wing conservatives) believe only the very rich should have money and the ability to generate more. The middle class should be eliminated. All jobs should be moved offshore so large corporate CEOs and their friends can make more money. The poor are not entitled to any rights (see below).
Compassionate Conservatives (aka Neo-Conservatives aka right-wing conservatives) believe in the sanctity of marriage, but only if it is between a man and a woman.
Compassionate Conservatives (aka Neo-Conservatives aka right-wing conservatives) do not believe in the sanctity of marriage if it means that the spouse can make decisions for the other spouse if that other spouse is incapacitated -- even if it can be shown that the decisions are consistent with previously expressed wishes of that incapacitated spouse -- as proven and accepted by a court of law. In such cases, they now believe that Congress and the President should overstep its bounds, and ignore the constitutional separation and definitions of the three major branches of the US government. But wait: George W. Bush (as Governor) signed a law in Texas that expressly gave hospitals the right to remove life support if the patient could not pay and there was no hope of revival, regardless of the patient's family's wishes. It is called the Texas Futile Care Law. Under this law, a baby was removed from life support against his mother's wishes in Texas just this week. So Congress and the President won't get involved if you are poor. The President has also recently signed into law a revision to the bankruptcy rules that make it even harder to afford health care if you have no or limited funds or if medical expenses exhaust your funds.
Clearly, the term "Compassionate" does not apply.