Liberalism and Conservatism GOVT 2305, Module 6 Liberalism and Conservatism

Political Philosophies Liberalism Conservatism The political philosophy that favors the use of government power to foster the development of the individual and promote the welfare of society. The political philosophy that government power undermines the development of the individual and diminishes society as a whole. The conservative position is sometimes called the “right,” whereas the liberal position is identified as the “left.” Right means conservative; left means liberal.

Points of View Liberal Conservative Conservatives see society as individuals, divided between takers and makers. The makers succeed because of talent and hard work. The takers want government to tax those who are successful to provide them with the benefits they are too lazy to work for. Liberals see society as a community, working together for the common good. People succeed because of their hard work but also because the community provided support through education and training. Meanwhile, it’s society’s place to help those who can’t help themselves.

Liberal Beliefs Liberals believe that the government can (and should) advance social progress by promoting political equality, social justice, and economic prosperity. Liberals usually favor government regulation and generous levels of government spending for social programs. Liberals value social and cultural diversity and defend the right of individual adult choice on issues such as access to abortion. Who is this? President John Kennedy

Conservative Beliefs Conservatives argue that government regulations and social programs generally do harm rather than good. Charities, private businesses, and individuals can solve societal problems if the government will just leave them alone. Conservatives also believe that the government should defend the traditional values of society. Who is this? President Ronald Reagan

Debating Social Welfare Policy Liberalism Conservatism Liberals advocate government action to assist disadvantaged groups in society, such as the elderly, poor, minorities, and people with disabilities. They generally support such programs as Social Security, Medicare, welfare assistance for the poor, national health insurance, federal aid for education, and affirmative action programs for women and minorities. Conservatives argue that government, especially the national government, is too inefficient to solve the nation's social problems. They believe that government should reduce spending on social programs and cut taxes in order to promote economic growth, which, the conservatives argue, benefits everyone. As President Ronald Reagan once put it, "The best anti-poverty program is a job."

Debating Regulatory Policy Liberalism Conservatism Liberals believe in the use of government power to regulate business in the public interest. They support environmental-protection laws to safeguard air and water quality, consumer-protection regulations to protect the buying public, occupational safety and health standards to ensure safe working conditions, and strict regulation of utilities to guarantee efficiency. Liberals are more likely than conservatives are to endorse trade restrictions to protect American companies and workers from foreign competition. Conservatives warn that government regulations usually involve undue interference with the market economy. They believe that government regulations drive up the cost of doing business, increasing prices for consumers and lowering wage rates for workers. In this policy area, at least, conservatives agree with the motto: “The government that governs least governs best.”

Conservative Position on Social Issues Conservatives favor a more active government, whereas liberals prefer less government involvement. Conservatives define social issues in terms of traditional family values. They regard pornography, gay and lesbian rights, abortion, assisted suicide, stem cell research, and the Supreme Court's refusal to allow government-mandated spoken prayer in public schoolrooms as direct assaults on God, family, and country. Conservatives generally support the rigorous enforcement of pornography laws, the adoption of a constitutional amendment against abortion, and the enactment of an amendment permitting school prayer. Conservatives oppose assisted suicide, most stem cell research, and laws protecting gay men and lesbians from discrimination. They also oppose same-sex marriage.

Liberal Position on Social Issues Liberals believe that adults should be free to decide for themselves what books to read or films to watch. They hold that women should be allowed to pursue the career goals of their choice and should be treated equally with men under the law. Liberals believe that women should not be forced to bear unwanted children; gay men and lesbians should not suffer discrimination; and the government should not dictate prayers for children to recite in the public schools. They favor government support for stem cell research aimed at finding cures for disease. Liberals favor marriage equality.

Liberal or Conservative? The best anti-poverty program known to man is a job. If Congress and the president want to help the poor, they should cut taxes and reduce regulations so the economy will prosper and employment will rise. conservative

Liberal or Conservative? Ever since they took prayer out of the schools, our young people have been in trouble. The teen-age pregnancy rate is up, juvenile crime is on the rise, and test scores are down. conservative Actually, pregnancy rates are down and so is juvenile crime.

Liberal or Conservative? Thousands of single mothers cannot get off welfare because they can’t afford adequate day care for their children. Congress and the president need to address this problem. The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not provide government-funded daycare for the children of working families. liberal

Liberal or Conservative? The Internet is an avenue for pornographers to get in the homes of every American. Congress should pass legislation to protect Americans from online smut. conservative

Liberal or Conservative? Regulations sound good in theory but not in practice. The supporters of minimum-wage laws argue that they help low-income wage earners by increasing their incomes. The truth, though, is that minimum-wage laws hurt small business and the poor because businesses can’t afford to pay good wages to workers who have no skills. Low-skill workers will end up without jobs at all. conservative

Liberal or Conservative? The best investment in the economy is a college education. The Texas Legislature should adopt legislation to provide a free college education to everyone who graduates from high school having completed a college-preparatory curriculum. liberal

Liberal or Conservative? Women and minorities still earn substantially less than white males. The law needs to protect women and minorities from discrimination if the earnings gap is ever going to be closed. liberal

Liberal or Conservative? Jobs are more important that trees and owls. Government regulations to protect endangered species such as the spotted owl are making loggers an endangered species. conservative

Liberal or Conservative? We need to clean up the air to protect our health. Houston has one of the highest asthma rate in the nation. The government needs to force polluters to clean up the air to protect the public health. liberal

Liberal or Conservative? Marriage is a sacred institution. The government needs to respond to the threat against marriage by enacting a constitutional amendment to limit marriage to one man and one woman. Otherwise, men and women will stop marrying. conservative

Liberal or Conservative? The United States government spends too much money on the military. Some of that money should be spent on programs to help the people. liberal

Liberal or Conservative? The government should strictly regulate the sale of firearms, especially high caliber weapons, to keep them out of the hands of criminals. liberal

Liberal or Conservative? Preferences based on race, ethnicity, and gender are unfair. Colleges and universities should not consider anything other than test scores and grades in making admissions decisions. conservative

Public Opinion and Political Ideology Are Americans liberal or conservative?

Overview Some people are consistently liberal on the full range of issues. Some people are consistently conservative on the full range of issues. Some people are liberal on some issues, conservative on others, and moderate on others. Some people hold inconsistent views because they have not thought much about issues.

Are Americans Liberal or Conservative?

Are Americans Liberal or Conservative on issue categories? More people identify as conservative than liberal, but no group is in the majority.

Are Americans liberal or conservative? Government and Values Somewhat more liberal, but the figures have been close for the last few years. Are Americans liberal or conservative?

Role of Government More say conservative by this measure. Are Americans liberal or conservative?

Power of Government Are Americans liberal or conservative? Conservative by this measure. Are Americans liberal or conservative?

Government Regulation More conservatives by this measure than liberals. Are Americans conservative or liberal?

Summary If you ask people if they are conservative, liberal, or moderate, more people say conservative than say either moderate or liberal although no group is in the majority. If you ask people about the role of government, more people take the conservative position on most measures with the exception of questions about promoting values. That does not mean, however, that people take liberal positions on every issue, as we will see.

What We Have Learned What is liberalism? What is conservatism? How do liberals and conservatives feel about the role of government? How do liberals and conservatives view particular issues? Are Americans predominantly liberal or conservative?