Conservatives support the principles of freedom, as they are stated in our Declaration of Independence and that is that all men are equal and they have unalienable rights such as Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. These ideals started with the Constitution and our Founding Fathers did their best to offer the Federal Government the necessary powers to lead our nation. The Enumerated Powers of the government are mentioned in the Constitution. All citizens should have these rights and it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to make sure of that. When it comes to libertarian vs conservative, there is a lot to be said. As far as the progressive vs conservative movement is concerned, this goes back a long way.
What Matters about Libertarian vs Conservative?
Some ideologies shape today’s citizens more than others; a lot has been said about libertarian vs conservative but what matters is that there are few similarities between these two different ideologies. As far as both ideologies are concerned, the Constitution is the document that controls us all and that matters the most for our citizens. Nonetheless, the Constitution was ratified 231 years ago and it has witnessed various amendments that led the Country towards the libertarian or socialist ideology.
When it comes to libertarian vs conservative it should be quite clear that their ideals and ideology vary significantly. For the conservatives, the following issues were a priority:
• The Federal Government was limited via the Enumerated Powers and all the other aspects were left to the citizens or the State
• The Country should have a powerful National Defense
• The involvement of the Federal Government in the National Economy should be kept to a minimum
• All citizens should have personal freedom so that they can achieve their goals and they should provide for themselves
• They supported fundamental Rights that were granted by the Constitution
• They believed in equal justice for all
• They were against abortion, same-sex marriage and civil unions.
As far as the liberal/socialist ideology is concerned, this is what defines it:
• The Federal Government was to have unlimited powers of governance
• The National Defense capability should be minimum
• The Government should establish a guaranteed income
• They believed in equality and social justice and that state intervention was a must so that they can achieve their goals
• They approved abortion and any-sex marriage
• They believed that the wealthy should help those who produce little or nothing
• They focused on the protection of natural resources more than they did on property rights
As you can see, these two ideologies vary significantly and there is a lot to be said about each of them.
Why Is the Progressive vs Conservative Dichotomy Important?
The dichotomy progressive vs conservative is another one that is important when it comes to ideologies that have shaped today’s generations. Although the priorities of the conservatives are quite clear and have already been mentioned previously, it is important to understand that the progressive were not happy with the Constitution as it was and they wanted to make adjustments, to re-write pages that were written by the Framers. Over the course of 231 years. The progressive decisions issued by the Supreme Court drifted apart from the initial intent of the Framers and they shifted the country towards the progressive, also known as the socialist ideology.
For the progressives:
• The Federal Government should have unlimited powers in order to govern
• The National Defense capability should be kept to a minimum\
• The Government should establish a guaranteed income
• Those who are wealthy should help those who are not
• Abortion and any-sex marriage were approved
The progressive vs conservative dichotomy is quite clear; for the conservatives, individual liberty and responsibility were above all and these were the main rights of all free people. The Constitution accomplished that by limiting the powers of the Federal Government and by providing the list of Enumerated Powers. Thanks to rulings issues by the Supreme Court sections of the Constitution were altered and this led to the current National challenges we are dealing with at the moment.
How Did the Libertarian vs Conservative Dichotomy Affect Today’s Society?
Unfortunately, the libertarians misinterpreted the Constitution various times; for them the phrase in the Constitution “promote the general welfare” meant that the Federal Government can do anything it pleases as long as it serves the “general good.” It is clearly explained by James Madison, the father of our Constitution, that the Federal government does not have such authority. Why should the hard-working people pass their earnings to people who did nothing? Conservatives on the other hand stand by the Madison definition and they believe the Constitution benefits all of the citizens.
Today, it is not clear what the Federal Government should do and what it actually does. The libertarian behavior led to an aberrant series of actions and it is the conservative movement that supports the return to our Constitution. The Freedom guaranteed by the Constitution is not provided by the libertarians or by the progressives. According to them, people are inherently good. As far as the progressive movement is concerned, this supports changes made by the Government to control American society. Most of these changes are the result of numerous technological advances such as the electricity for domestic and industrial use, motor vehicles, hydro-electricity and others.
To summarize, the progressive vs conservative dichotomy is important; because of technological advances the largest manufacturing companies in the history were created; this resulted in employment shifts, it led to the labor movement and it enabled large companies to hold a monopoly on the labor force. As such, companies did not care much about the needs of their employees, they reduced pay rates, they ignored safety at the workplace. Unions were created with the purpose of improving these aspects. The involvement of the Government in order to help resulted in the battle between the progressive and the conservative ideologies, which exists even as we speak, with the Democratic Party advocating for the progressives and the Republican Party for the conservatives.
