Conservatism VS Liberalism
Conservatism is the belief in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Many that believe in Conservatism believe the role of government should be to provide people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals. Conservative policies generally emphasize empowerment of the individual to solve problems Liberalism is the belief in governmental action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all, and that it is the duty of the State to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights. Many that believe in liberalism believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one is in need. They also believe that people are basically good in nature. Liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve people’s problems.
In terms of abortion, conservatism believes human life begins at conception. Abortion is the murder of a human being and nobody has the right to murder a human being. This is the main reason these people consider abortions illegal. Conservatism support legislation to prohibit partial birth abortions, called the Partial Birth Abortion Ban. A partial birth abortion is considered the killing of an unborn baby of at least twenty weeks by pulling it out of the birth canal with forceps, but leaving the head inside. An incision is then made in the back of the baby’s neck and the brain tissue is suctioned out. The head is then removed from the uterus. Conservatism does not except this as appropriate and always makes the correlation between law and religion. Liberalism supports freedom of choice.
In relation to affirmative action, conservatism is the belief that people should be admitted to schools and hired for jobs based on their ability. It is unfair to use race as a factor in the selection process. Reverse discrimination is not a solution for racism but handouts shouldn’t be given due past issues. Liberalism is the belief that due to prevalent racism in the past, minorities were deprived of the same education and employment opportunities as whites, hence we need to make up for that. Those that support liberalism, support affirmative action based on the belief that America is still a racist society. Many believe that minorities still lag behind whites in all statistical measurements of success. Additionally, the presence of minorities creates diversity in the work place and is needed to promote reverse forms of diversity.
In relation to the death penalty, conservatism believes the death penalty is a punishment that fits the crime; it is neither cruel nor unusual. Many believe that executing a murderer is the appropriate punishment for taking an innocent life. Liberalism believes that the death penalty should be abolished. Many believe that the death penalty is inhumane and is cruel and unusual punishment. Liberalism affirms that it does not deter crime, and imprisonment is the appropriate punishment. The worst part of an execution is that every execution risks killing an innocent person. Opinions are the most important of political thought and legislation. Both forms of political thought are polar opposites, but serve significant purposes in politics.
