Conservative Agenda

Now that we understand the Liberal Agenda and the associated underlying policies, let’s take a look at the “competing” Conservative Agenda. We will focus upon the same five issues that were laid out during our discussion of the Liberal Agenda. Before we begin, I want to mention one thing… the Conservative Agenda does not equate to the “shoving” of religion down your throat. Yes, there are some religious issues within the policies and their stances upon them, but it is not a mandate of religion for those who disagree or are not religious.

You may say there should be 0% religion in government because of the Constitution’s requirement of separation of Church and State. I say yes, the government cannot force religion upon our citizens, but our citizens can utilize religion and faith when voting and deciding policy. Taking a look at the latest statistics, 78.4% of Americans state that they are Christians. The rest is broken up into about 5% belonging to other faith traditions and 16.1% being unaffiliated with any specific religion. Our nation has always been and currently still is a Christian nation. Our forefathers and leadership during our nation’s formation were deeply rooted in their Christian faith, but they did not “shove” religion down our throats… going as far as making sure that it cannot happen.

Issue: Abortion

This may be the most divisive issue between the Conservative and Liberal Agendas. Unlike the Liberal Agenda believers, conservatives believe in Pro-Life. Many conservatives equate life with conception and not at birth. With life beginning at conception, abortion is nothing more than the murder of an innocent child. The innocence of life should be protected and not equated to a simple choice or right of the mother because it’s her “body.” What about the life of the child growing inside? Does it not have any rights?

Contradicting laws of our nation add to the volatility of this issue. Abortion is ok because the mother is “choosing” to abort because it’s her “body.” However, if a mother who is pregnant is murdered, the criminal faces two charges of murder. Or, if a pregnant mother is attacked and the baby is lost, the criminal faces a murder charge. On one hand, the child has no significance only because the mother decides that she doesn’t want the baby. On the other, the child is equivalent of a born human being, possessing all natural rights. The unborn baby either possesses all natural rights or does not. The Conservative Agenda says the unborn life possesses ALL natural rights.

Issue: Progressive Taxes

Unlike the Liberal Agenda, the Conservative Agenda does not believe in taxation to “spread the wealth.” Actually, removing the entire taxation system and replacing it with a “sales tax” is gaining momentum and traction amongst the true conservative nation. The idea here is to pay taxes upon the products you buy and not pay taxes on the amount of income you earn. Liberals utilize the broken progressive tax system to “earn” votes by “cutting” taxes for the poor and middle class… Look at your wallet and the past… when did you pay more taxes and when did you not?

Issue: Gun Control

Gun Control is another major issue dividing the liberals and conservatives. Liberals believe everyone will be safe as long as the people (not Joe Schmoe citizen) they determine should have weapons have them and nobody else does (I guess illegal weapons never cross their mind). Conservatives believe in the 2^nd Amendment and believe it is an American citizen’s right to own and bear arms. No, they are not saying we should have fully automatic weapons, tanks, and explosives. They are supporting our right to own civilian weapons if we are law abiding citizens because our Constitution and Bill of Rights says we can.

Issue: Homosexual Marriage

Like abortion, there are some religious motivations for opposing gay marriage. However, that does not mean the conservatives are forcing religion upon you. Our nation was founded upon Christian faith and ideology and the sanctity of marriage should be protected as such. Given that nearly 80% of our nation still considers itself Christian, it’s not a leap of faith to assume that the sanctity of marriage should be protected as one man, one woman. Marriage is not “just” a state recognized union, it is a Christian union.

Issue: Government Control

Conservatives profess that downsizing government is an ultimate desire. Decreasing the impact government has in our lives enhances our freedom as a nation. Conservatives believe that private enterprise produces competition and therefore we receive the benefits of better products and services. Government sponsored policies and services only add to the “fat” our government already abundantly has.

As you can see, there are night and day differences between the Liberal and Conservative Agendas. However, unlike what the media would have you believe, the conservatives are not about “shoving” religion down your throat and forcing you to abide by their beliefs. Yes, religion plays a factor in how their decisions are made regarding policy, but they are not creating legislation that forces the American citizen to abide by the Christian faith.

Citation: http://www.latimes.com/