Conservatism Essay, Research Paper

In the world of politics there are two very basic concepts that govern political thought and give rise to policies and laws. These two concepts are conservatism and liberalism. Liberalism supports a more active role of government, policies to help minorities and the disadvantaged, higher spending and more regulation and policies to redistribute wealth through taxation. Conservatism supports a greater reliance on the free market, a market in which the disadvantaged and minorities can support themselves, fewer government regulations, and lower taxes. I am a conservative. The ideas, which reflect conservative thought and play a role in free market society, are taxation, government regulations, and the minimum wage. These concepts govern the cost of doing business and therefore govern our free market.

Being a conservative I believe in a competitive free market society. We should be responsible for ourselves. The stronger the free market the more it will allow minorities and the disadvantaged to develop a sense of dependence and self-reliance. By giving assistance to minorities and the disadvantaged will only make them more dependent on government and society as a whole for their success. An example to show this idea can be seen in the animal kingdom. If an animal is given assistance they cease to do for themselves. If man stops caring for the animal they can no longer hunt or protect themselves. Therefore they must be assisted for life. If left alone they develop the necessary skills to survive.

I believe that if a citizen is allowed to keep more of their income they will spend and invest in ways that are most advantageous for themselves. Spending in the economy will allow for the circulation of money. For example – “Middle American family” is able to keep more of their income, as a result they have more money to allow for some luxuries such as bringing their clothes to the dry cleaners, or hiring someone to cut their lawn. Therefore more money is circulating and people are supporting themselves and developing a stronger sense of self-worth. People are born with a desire to thrive and the more success one enjoys, the more one wants.

Less government regulations is something else I feel is another issue I agree with on being a conservative. Increase government regulations drive prices higher because the cost of doing business is increased to pay for the regulations. Conservatives believe in reasonable regulations. In a free society, business would not want to harm people by cutting corners. People may file lawsuits against the companies and this would do more harm to the company than if they self – regulated themselves.

One issue that I have noticed recently is the current debates on the raising of minimum wage. Minimum wage also raises the cost of doing business. Minimum wage jobs are meant as an entry-level, non-skilled job. These jobs are mostly occupied by young people participating in their first or second job, and are usually unskilled. Conservatives argue that by keeping minimum wage an employer may be able to higher more workers thus allowing more people to receive work experience. Many economists believe that any minimum wage hurts. Minimum wage actually allowing an employer to settle on a wage rather than allowing the free markets to determine what a job is worth. For example, $6.50/hr an employer will set that wage for their entry level for unskilled jobs because it is the wage government ahs set for minimum wage. But if there were no minimum wage, an employer would advertise for a position at a given wage. If that wage did not attract the workers they wanted he might raise that wage to attract better workers. Therefore allowing the market to determine the value of a job.

Therefore, the role of government should be to set guidelines, but to basically get out of the way and let society work. The concept of being a conservative falls into my character more than being a liberal.