Conservatives Vs Liberals in 2021
In 2021, the ideological divide in Americans’ views on the right and left of the political spectrum remained the same as it has been over recent years. About a third of Americans continue to describe their views as conservative and a quarter as liberal.
Conservatives value tradition and want to preserve existing structures. Liberals believe in progress and modernity.
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right, one that protects the right to disagree with others, peacefully protest and participate in political debate. It is closely linked to other freedoms such as the freedom of association – the right to form clubs, societies or trade unions with whomever you choose – and the freedom of assembly – the right to gather together with other people for a public purpose.
Free speech is an important part of a healthy democracy, allowing citizens to create awareness and change views. It has been an essential tool in the success of abolitionists, suffragettes, labor leaders and antiwar protestors, who could not have succeeded without a strong constitutional protection for their rights to speak freely.
While conservative motivations for their about-face may be pure, and the results they are arriving at politically biased, these openings to revisit cultural and doctrinal conceptions of free speech should be welcomed (even if the outcomes are not always perfect). Ultimately, we cannot allow private companies to have unconstrained power over our speech.
Death penalty
Some conservatives argue that society has a moral right to execute murderers. They also argue that the death penalty is less expensive than incarcerating killers for life. However, these arguments are flawed in many ways.
One major concern is that the death penalty increases state power by cultivating a culture of fear among citizens. This is especially true in repressive regimes. This fear is not just a response to government injustices, but also the fear that a state can claim any citizen’s life.
Moreover, it’s difficult to justify a death penalty on utilitarian grounds. For example, if a person commits a crime that causes significant harm to the entire community, they should be put to death. However, this view ignores the fact that it may be impossible to identify who constitutes a continuing threat to society. As a result, the death penalty can be cruel and ineffective. Additionally, it’s a waste of resources that could be better spent on police and correctional systems.
International involvement
The US has a complex relationship with the world. Its priorities are reflected in data on foreign aid, military deployment, and international trade. This data can help inform debates about US involvement in global affairs.
Despite the rise of non-military forms of intervention, most Americans continue to support the idea that America should be active in world politics. This view is supported by both Republicans and Democrats. However, a small but growing minority of Democrats favor focusing on domestic issues.
This divide appears to be related to the way political views affect mental health. Liberals are more likely to find meaning in their lives through politics and civic activism. As such, they tend to follow politics much more closely and engage in it more regularly. In turn, this can lead to a worsening in their psychological well-being. Moreover, some strains of liberal ideology have been shown to impose a high cost on those who embrace them.
Taxes
Taxes are a tool for funding government spending and are a vital part of the economic process. They can be used to increase economic welfare by providing public goods and services such as roads and infrastructure, schools, social safety nets, and a legal system. They can also be used to reduce business cycles and unemployment. They can also be used to regulate the economy by resolving commercial disputes and regulating trade. However, some groups such as libertarians and anarcho-capitalists are against taxes. They view them as a form of coercion and theft.
Critics of taxes note that they decrease the amount of money citizens have available for personal goods and services, savings, and investments. Additionally, they take time away from citizens by requiring them to spend hours filling out taxes. This is especially true for payroll taxes, which are estimated to take 6.5 billion hours per year from American citizens. Despite these criticisms, many people support the use of taxes to fund public goods and services.