There has been a lot of talk in recent months about "bipartisanship" and trying to compromise on various bills in Congress.  There is a problem, however.  One cannot compromise on something diametrically opposed to one's own principles.

 For example: lets say you want to have 9 kids and your spouse wants to have 1.  It is likely you can easily come to a compromise and settle for 5 kids.  You both want kids, you just differ on how many.

 Another example: lets say you want a new sports car, but your wife wants something that can carry all the kids around.  So, you decide to get a sporty-looking sedan.  You both wanted a new car; you just differed on the type ... and were able to get something that sort of met both your desires.

 Now we come to the liberal vs. conservative mindset on government. 

 Liberals want to have a "mommy-state".  Real words for it would include a monarchy, oligarchy, authoritarian, totalitarian.  People get caught up in the differences between Marxism, Communism, Socialism, Fascism, etc., but in the end they all amount to the same thing:  an all-powerful government run by a few "elites".

 Conservatives like their personal freedoms.  They like to make their own decisions, and succeed or fail on their own terms.  In an ideal conservative world, we would need no government.  However, as anarchy is too easily disrupted by humanity's desire for power and control, a republic is an acceptable compromise.  Notice I did not say democracy, as a pure democracy is nothing more than 51% of the people living at the expense of the other 49%.  A republic is supposed to have very defined and constricted powers to do very specific jobs, and nothing more.  Those jobs can be generalized into providing for the common defense, punishing fraud, and maintaining a stable currency.

 When faced with these 2 political views, asking for a compromise between them is the political equivalent of asking a pig to learn to fly.  It cannot happen without one of them violating their core principles.

 And here is the paradox of a free society:  How do you continue to live in a free society while allowing those that wish to make the society subservient to also live in it?  There is no compromise between a free society and an authoritarian one.

 There are 4 possible solutions to this paradox:

1. One side becomes so discredited and such a small minority that it essentially ceases to exist.
2. One side gives in to the other.
3. We decide to split amicably (in which case, Conservatives will be glad to take most of the southern states and Alaska ... liberals can have the northeast, the Midwest, the west, and all of the leftover territories).
4. Another Civil war.

 #2 isn't likely to happen.  The goal for conservatives is, and should be, #1.  However, as the stakes are being continually raised, #3 or #4 becomes increasingly likely.

 In the end, may God help us all!