As I was perusing the comments on another blog, one unusually lucid commenter struck me as typical of the liberal mindset. This mindset needs to be addressed. And redressed.

In his somewhat wandering post, he took pains to declare that "I even name high-profile conservatives I think are intelligent." How generous of him. He went on to notice that conservative posters "never assume they ... are more intelligent than I am. Why is that?" Somehow, he derives from this that conservatives are opposed to higher education.

What an incredible load of pony poo! Can you believe this clown is actually trying to pay us a compliment? Even when making nice, liberals just can't seem to get over their self-righteousness long enough to take the sneer out of their tone. And this in a text-only message, even yet!

Forgive, if you can, the grammatical errors in the first and third paragraph. Having gradjyated Six Grade, and larned to cipher and all, I talk like that, but I don't always choose my words so carefully when speaking. Oh, dear. I fear I have lost my liberal audience to my failure to prove that the weight of my brain can sink a battleship. How sad.

OK, now that the ADD crowd is gone, let's look at why conservatives don't make a big deal out of who is more intelligent than whom. It's simple, really. We consider it a well known fact that the size of your diploma is not necessarily related to the size of your contribution.

Boy, that was simple! Maybe I should elaborate.

We conservatives do not need to feed our own egos at the expense of others. We are simply too caught up in making the best of ourselves, and encouraging the best in those around us. We know that the lady who never graduated from high school, yet raised a family, put her kids through college, and now owns a successful card shop may have something to teach us. We also know that the Nobel Prize winner physicist could, if he so desires, benefit from our skills or knowledge. We are, in short, emotionally and intellectually secure.

When I walk into a group of people, I do not worry about how I can prove I am more intelligent, or better educated, than another person in that group. I don't care. Further, anyone who is thinking that way is not worth my time. People like that are so busy trying to prove they are better than me that there is just no way to pass time with them pleasantly or constructively.

Long ago, when I still thought that "liberal" meant "in favor of liberty," I had already learned that anyone who declares himself the smartest person in the room is in fact a pompous, arrogant fool. If a third party declares him the smartest in the room, he is most probably still pompous and arrogant, but the fool part is not as certain. The third party making the declaration, however, is either a sycophantic fool, or going for a laugh. No, people who can be taken seriously just present their contributions, and those contributions are accepted on their own merits. They never, ever, try to use a diploma to make themselves seem superior.

Conservatives believe that education is a wonderful thing. In a sense, we never really leave school because we are constantly learning, both from the world around us and from our own experiences. At the same time, we are aware that not everyone needs a twelve year degree to achieve what they want in life. We are also very well aware of how difficult it is to get an actual education in a college or university. As a result, we generally have far more respect for a person's accomplishments than for their office wallpaper. We expect others to feel the same way.

That, my little-minded liberal mystery commentator, is why I do not automatically assume I am more intelligent than you. It is also why I expect you to show some intelligence, too. I emphatically expect you to show some respect for people who may someday have something you need. A diploma does not prove intelligence, and far too often, a useful education is not found in a school.