FREE ESSAY ON CONSERVATISM

CONSERVATISM

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.