My Political Philosophy
First, some information. Contrary to the beliefs of many conservatism and liberalism are not the most basic poltical ideologies. They are mixed ideologies that have emerged as the dominant beliefs in the politics of many countries. They are built upon libertarianism, also known as classic liberalism, and authoritarianism, also known as communism. Before I continue I should mention that I am no political scientist and any facts that I present here are interpretations of how I see things. Libertarians believe that government is a necessary evil and should be kept out of the lives of people as much as possible. Keep in mind the related words of liberty and liberated. They are vigilant free-market capitalists as well as die hard supporters of every amendment in the Bill of Rights. They detest any government intrusion into their private lives, so in short they are gun-owning (or at least supporting) abortion-favoring tobacco-liking entrepreneurs. Authoritarians are the exact opposite--they believe that the only way to ensure a stable society is through governmental control of almost every aspect of someone's life. They support a highly regulated socialist economy. They are quite a rare breed today.
Conservatism and liberalism are more balanced approaches to these two extremes. Conservatives are opposed to government regulation of the economy but do not object to some amount of social control, as seen in their opposition to abortion (generally). They support the Bill of Rights and detest political correctness but in no way are supporters of the American Civil Liberties Union. Liberals are the opposite of conservatives: they believe in governmental regulation of the economy to ensure fairness but do not like social control in most cases (although they are more than willing to take away your guns...whether all this is hypocrisy or not is not what I'm getting at here).
As for myself, I started out as being pretty liberal as the American public education system tends to shape students that way. Eventually I swung to the right as I found wit and wisdom in Rush Limbaugh. Over the last year or so I wouldn't say I have moved any to the left; rather I have moved "up" slightly toward libertarianism. This creates my unique political belief of conservative libertarianism.
In short, I believe individuals should be able to do whatever they please as long as they do not interfere with the rights of others. I am a free-market capitalist that believes the best government is one that does only what is necessary to ensure tranquility, protect the country from foreign threats, and give every citizen an equal opportunity to succeed, not one that tries to ensure everyone succeeds equally. With every freedom Americans enjoy comes responsibility, a major core of my beliefs. Everyone must be held responsible for his or her actions; this is the surest way to guarantee that our freedoms survive. I am opposed to abortion because it interferes with the rights of another--the right of the unborn baby to experience life--and because it is the ultimate cop-out of responsibility on the part of both parents. I believe in the amazing potential of the human race and am very proud to be an American. In general, this is my political philosophy. If you want to call me a liberal or conservative it would be proper to call me a moderate conservative. I am a registered Republican (the Libertarian party has no real power) but I often disapprove of my party's actions. More specific details can be found in my arguments on select issues. Perhaps a nifty chart will help:
Libertarianism
ACLU ^
|
Clinton |
| Me
|
Tree Hugger Al Gore Clinton | Clinton Rush L.
<--Liberalism----------------------------Moderate---------------------Conservatism-->KS State
| Board of
Clinton | Clinton Education
|
|
|
V
Authoritarianism