The majority of my colleagues could be considered “conservative.” I have to use the scare quotes, because what that means by definition is not what that means in general usage. Tersely put, conservative means resistant to change. In current political usage, it means desirous of radical change in the direction of an imagined past that never really existed.

Aside: If “conservatives” are so enthralled with the genius of President Ronald Reagan, why don’t the stupid Democrats offer a “return to the glory of Reagan” in the form of a return to the tax rates in place during the Reagan Presidency? Oh, right. That would require a spine and a sense of irony.

Having spent all week in Southern California, I was dismayed by much of what I heard. Even while enjoying the great things about California, many of the participants spent their breaks discussing how terrible California is. They universally attribute the awfulness of this state to “liberals.”