I Am a Conservative Because...

Paper #2 for my online class...

Before I knew anything about politics and when it came time to cast my first vote I had no clue on whom to vote for or why. I voted how my parents voted. I am now almost 33 years old and have finally developed my own ideas and beliefs within just the past couple of years. I define myself as a conservative because…

I believe in a fiscally conservative government. Government does not have the right to run up large amount of debts and then throw the burden on the taxpayer. Currently, our government is out of control in spending and expanding the scope and size of the U.S. government. President Obama’s spending budget is enough to make anyone cringe. In addition, taxpayer dollars continue to be wasted away on projects and programs that are not needed.

I believe in a strong national defense. I believe as former President Ronald Reagan believed where he said, “The United States does not start fights. We will never be an aggressor. We maintain our strength in order to deter and defend against aggression – to preserve freedom and peace.” (National Security Speech, March 23, 1981.) I would add to that – if you thrown the first punch, we return the punch a hundred fold. Attacking America would be the biggest mistake anyone would ever make and regret for the rest of their lives. Our national defenses need to be strong enough to intimidate any foreign enemy that wants to hurt us that will know the repercussions if attacked.

I believe in a free market and Capitalism. America became America because of the free market and the prosperity of Capitalism. An environment where there is no holds bar whether you make it or break it. Everyone has the same opportunity to succeed. This country was built on entrepreneurs and their small enterprises for almost all the economic growth in the United States. Today it seems like small business owners and entrepreneurs are under attack with new taxes that will significantly hurt their business, which will not allow them to grow and create more jobs. I am against using taxpayer dollars to bail out private companies. They are not too big to fail. Let the free market work. Let them fail. Let them restructure. Let them learn from their own mistakes instead of nursing them through their problems because when the next problem comes up guess what they’re going to do? Come back for more.

I believe in a sovereign nation. The power is in the people. The people govern the government. The people have the right to alter or abolish government. Synonyms for sovereignty include: independence, control, liberty, jurisdiction, supremacy, and dominion. We are free and have to right for the “pursuit of happiness.” The people have control and jurisdiction, but when the government decides to get more and more involved in the liberties of the people is when we lose those liberties and freedoms.

I believe in a limited government. The Constitution was designed for the government to be limited. Government does not need to be in every aspect of our lives – we can govern ourselves. We don’t need the government to tell us what to do or how to do it. Like Ronald Reagan said, “Government is not the solution to our problems, government is the problem.” It seems like when every government gets involved the messier it gets and more difficult to get it right. There are political movements and groups whose sole purpose is expanding the size and scope of the government and making all have things in common in the name of social justice like the Progressive movement. The Constitution stands in their way of their agenda and they know that well and continue to attack the Constitution and try get around it. The Founding Fathers intended the government to be limited with the majority of the power in the people with a system of checks and balances.