Recently, I became a member of the American Spectator’s Young Writer’s Program. Despite not having submitted a single piece in the few weeks since I have officially joined, Jim Antle, Associate Editor of the magazine, was kind enough to invite me to the annual Robert L. Bartley Gala Dinner this past Thursday. After the rough week I had, it was a very refreshing and enjoyable event. I saw a couple of buddies I hadn’t caught up with in a while, spoke to an acquaintance I hadn’t seen in over a year and my date was both classy- as is her norm- and elegantly stunning.

It was here that I had two great philosophies planted in my head by two of the speakers of the evening. The first, The Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Henninger, recipient of the 2009 Barbara Olson Award, was related to how one should write opinion pieces. The other, by keynote speaker Representative Mike Pence (R-IN), was one of a philosophy about the American Revolution and what it means to America.

I’ll share the writing philosophy first. In short, Henninger shared how he had written an opinion piece for the Journal and Bartley improved it by adding just one paragraph at the end. Bartley explained his change by saying that one should always end on a positive note in writing opinion pieces. To paraphrase Henninger quoting Bartley, to end on a down note is to put yourself out of opinion-writing.

This lesson is timely because, as a young writer deeply in the political minority who sees many policies and attitudes I disagree with, I’m often critical of those in power, whether they be Democrats, Republicans, conservatives or liberals; whether they are in governmental positions or media positions; or even whether the issue I am writing on is important or just a “piffle,” as one of my friends has commented on two of my recent pieces. Being critical is crucial to do, of course, to hold those in power accountable- even if my influence is miniscule- but it must be balanced out with noticing the positive. My mother, an extraordinarily positive and uplifting person, always brings out the best in even the worst people, which is why she has so many more friends than almost anyone else I know. I have often wondered if I have been overly critical in my writing lately, and so Henninger’s comments really struck home with me. After all, positive people and attitudes bring out the positive in other people, as Malcolm Gladwell so aptly pointed out in The Tipping Point.

The Mike Pence point is also very important, but on a much deeper level. He spoke of John Adams, our second president, and what he said in 1818 about the Revolution and what it meant to America. Instead of talking about the fighting that took place in our Revolution, instead of talking about the ideas of taxation or representation, Pence said the following: "According to our second President, the real American Revolution was a revolution of self reliance and independence, casting off dependency on the crown, in the hearts and minds of the American people. It was a rejection of the spirit of dependence in favor of a society of free and independent people.” This statement strikes at the core of what it means to be a conservative: to throw off the yoke of oppressive dependence on a government entity and make certain that the American people- and, by extension, the world’s citizens as a whole- have the opportunity for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The Adams statement struck me powerfully, and I think it is one conservatives should take to heart. Our Revolution was about representation, taxes, the forces sheltering of soldiers and many other things. However, it was really about the overall oppressive dependence of the British government. Let us keep that in mind as we continue to fight the day-to-day workings of a liberal Congress. While we should protest in large numbers, write letters to the editor of our local, state and national newspapers, donate money to our favored candidates on all levels of government and write on blogs, we should never take our eye off that simple goal of conservatism: “rejection of the spirit of dependence.” If we get so caught up in the small things we stand to lose the larger fight. For example, we have the 2010 mid-term elections in less than a year, which will be a great turnaround point for America if we make it so, and the 2012 presidential election after that, which can be another light on the horizon- Jimmy Carter beget Ronald Reagan, after all, and Mitt Romney is working hard to become our next president.

In both the short and long-term, given what is going on in this country and around the world, it is important that we step up to the plate and say we will tell our elected government officials what to do, not the other way around. We have a terrible health care bill going through the Senate right now that includes high income taxes, a public option and under-the-table funding for abortion. Cap-and-trade legislation is likely dead, but it is still on the table. President Obama’s foreign policy, frankly, leaves much to be desired- ignoring democracy-supporting protests in Iran, supporting undemocratic actions in Honduras, snubbing the Dalai Lama to suck up to Communist and human rights-violator China and not putting promised missile defenses in Poland, among other mishaps- and our budget deficit is monstrous. However, if we are always optimistic, even in criticism, and keep our eye on the goal of a federal government staying within its proper sphere, perhaps America can stay as that “shining city upon a hill.” Personally, I think the world depends on it.

FYI: Pence’s remarks can be seen in full here.