In America, there exists many differing approaches towards solving economic problems. From the far left to the far right, there is intense disagreement on even basic economic questions, such as poverty, the role of the government, and the role of individuals. The perspectives of Liberals and Conservatives will be discussed in this paper. Between Liberals and Conservatives, the ideological contrast is clear. While both agree on the virtues of capitalism, this is where the similarities end. Conservatives strongly emphasize the role of the individual. They commonly hold the belief that individuals have the right to property ownership, and that they are self-interested and materialistic by their very nature. They strongly believe in a free market. In a market with low regulation, according to them, businesses are increasingly able to compete with each other for customers. As competition increases, prices go down in order to bring more customers in. Thus, the economy thrives. However, as the government …show more content…
As conservatives believe so strongly in individual responsibility, they see the individual’s responsibility as to find a job and provide for himself. They do not believe that the government should attempt to solve what they see is a cultural problem of many poor people: not wanting to find work. For those who are disabled and unable to work, they believe private charity can adequately provide for those in need. Conservatives also believe that a solution to poverty is creating new jobs by helping the wealthy prosper through generous tax cuts. They argue that by drastically reducing regulation and taxes, which they see as obstacles to economic growth, wealthy people will be free to use their wealth to invest it in businesses, creating new jobs. Consequently, poor and middle class people will then take those jobs, causing the wealth to “trickle down” to them, and ending
Supposedly, established to thwart the experience of dire poverty for most Americans upon retirement, in reality it is an income transfer program whereby the comparatively rich subsidize the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, and the disabled. However, Conservatives do support social welfare services to the most susceptible members of American society. “But conservatives believe that the most effective way to provide assistance is at the level of the individual states, in conjunction with private, for-profit, market-driven and not-for profit non-governmental organizations, and through faith-based social service programs.” ("Studentnews," 2006) Conservatives believe that welfare programs should not be funded solely based on ‘need,’ but the costs and effectiveness should be taken into effect.
To begin with, economic issue is the most prominent topic that both liberals and conservatives have opposing views on. Liberals believe that a government should handle the economy in order for it to grow. Conversely, conservatives believe in the system of free market, where individuals decide the price, the products to produce, how to produce, and for whom to produce. The reason why conservatives believe that a government should not get involved in the economy is that, the government cannot determine all of the society’s needs, and because there is
Conservatives want the power that if there were to ever come a time that society wants to overthrow our government, we have that option. They don’t want to have to rely on the government for everything. Especially when it comes to protection. Conservatives would much rather be self reliant when it comes to protecting themselves against
Because conservatives value order and security, they traditionally favor a strong government role in law enforcement and national defense. They often support the rights of private citizens to own firearms. Many conservatives regard military power as the basis for maintaining order and security in the world.
In which ways did the Fifties and Sixties in the USA set the scene for the rise of conservatism in the Seventies and into the Reagan era? Was the rise of the right inevitable? Please explain your point of view.
Today, more than ever, there is great debate over politics and which economic system works the best. How needs and wants should be allocated, and who should do the allocating, is one of the most highly debated topics in our current society. Be it communist dictators defending a command economy, free market conservatives defending a market economy, or European liberals defending socialism, everyone has an opinion. While all systems have flaws and merits, it must be decided which system is the best for all citizens. When looking at both the financial well being of all citizens, it is clear that market economies fall short on ensuring that the basic needs of all citizens are met. If one looks at liberty and individual freedom, it is evident
Conservatives beliefs on gun rights are that people should have them. They believe that people should have guns for self protection and to be able to protect their families. Conservatives do not want government to be changing any gun laws. They think that there are plenty gun laws as it is. They believe that if they make anymore they will hurt citizens. Conservatives may be against new gun laws but they might be willing to implement more safety classes to make sure citizens use their guns in a safe manner.
Social Welfare vs Conservatives As industrialization and capitalism evolved so did the hardships of the people. This increased the social consciousness of individuals. Activists brought attention to the needs of the people, they “pressured the governments to take a more active role in the social and economic lives of the citizens” (Chappell, 2014, p. 71), and over time this pressure lead to the creation a social welfare system. The effectiveness of our social welfare system is impacted by the political and economic ideologies of our era, and by the beliefs of the people.
American Political Thought is a system of thinking that has accumulated various categories of thoughts including Classic Liberalism, Republicanism, Providentialism, Ascriptive Americanism and Populism. Populism, often ignored, has influenced the American political systems and institutions. This train of thought has been an advocate for the “plain people” complimenting well with the other categories of thought due to its appeal to Americans. The source of power the government derives itself is not from the traditional sources of power that are found in feudal Europe. The American government has always been “for the people, and by the people,” therefore populism brings a nostalgic and patriotic element, which is familiar to Americans.
Even though capitalism has its advantages such as fueling technological innovations, there are some downsides to it. For example, capitalism creates inequalities and clear “winners” or “losers” in society. However, some people blame the poor for their circumstances and attribute their economic misfortune as due to a lack of morality (Lecture April 22, 2015).Those who blame the poor for their “laziness” are unlikely to support welfare programs, such as food stamps, because they see those as handouts.
However, “family, religion, and community should be the preferred sources of social influence rather than the coercive power of the state,” (Intellectual Takeout, 2014). Furthermore, conservatism stresses the importance of liberty in order to develop each person’s abilities – thus a government must protect a person’s natural rights of freedom, including the freedom to private property (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2005). The conservative
Conservatives are made of people who want to keep things the way they are and “conserve” their way of life. They also believe in limited government and free markets. However, liberals believe that government should assist in improve living conditions and take actions against social injustices. Liberals seek to have natural rights and freedom. Another key part, when examining both one must take into account economics.
As citizens of the United States, we are members of the leading capitalist economy in the world. Our production and distribution is mostly done privately and we operate in a “profit” or “market” system. The capitalist system has been a target for criticism throughout the last three hundred years and is being discussed now more than ever due to the recent recession and financial crisis (Shaw and Barry n.d., 1). Its effects,
Beginning with Nixon and continuing with Reagan after the radical changes of American culture in the sixties and seventies, Americans would begin to shift towards more conservative ideas unsure of the rapid radical change. In the 1994 mid term elections, the American people would elect a congress of mostly conservatives for the first time in nearly 50 years. At the core of this success would be the Contract with America. A set of promises and goals devised by conservative congressional representative Newt Gingrich. In 2000 the Republicans (modern conservative party) would retain the Congress and capture the White House. Conservatism has been a leading political ideology since the inception of the United States to
A Conservative ideology is that people take advantage of government aid, and therefore refuse to seek employment. In addition, they don’t feel government regulations are necessary and run on the assumption that the markets are perfect. A conservative economist would reduce environmental regulations. Their mindset is that it 's not vital to worry about future generations. They are mainly focused on the present and have the mentality that the byproducts of production are not an issue to the environment. They disagree with the liberal party, mainly due to the fact that they view climate change as something we shouldn 't worry about. As seen in the news, Trump is a great example of a conservative economist. He withdrew the U.S from the Paris climate agreement. He doesn’t want restrictions holding back businesses. If there were restrictions on climate change