While it took me a while to figure out which ideological system I fell under, I came to the conclusion of conservatism. The way I was raised, where I grew up and the beliefs that I have been taught all have shaped me to be a conservative. Based on the values I carry and what I live by, I have come up with a way to define conservatism in my own words. Conservatism is an ideology that holds traditional values and has made its way into today from the past. It approves of free markets, private ownership and disagrees with any large or quick changes as well as a large government. I believe that conservatives literally conserve meaning, the things in America that should last, like saving medical insurance and government benefits for those who actually need it rather than just want it is a great idea. Although there are some conservative views I do not favor, I would not stray away from this ideology.
While I do not particularly agree with any ideology one hundred percent, I can say that conservatism seems to fit my morals the best. One way that I would say I differ in any ideology is the unnecessarily bias towards one another. Whether I am a conservative or a liberal, I have found that both sides hate one another and can never agree, which does not make it of any purpose to the U.S. Other than a few issues I have heard about and disagree upon, I agree with most all conservative morals.
In my life, I have had many influences and encounters that have influenced me to believe in the conservative ideology. My parents had me at a very young age and I was partially raised by my grandmother who has always been a devout Catholic. She was very persistent about taking me to church with her every chance she got. Because of this, I have developed some of the same religious beliefs as her. Although I hardly attend church anymore, I still believe in God. As I grew older, my parents became more apparent in my life and began raising me themselves. Although they do not carry much religion, they still believe in God which has helped my religious virtues from my grandma, continue. My grandmothers religious faith, influenced her to side with the more religious following ideology. Because of how I was raised and influenced, I also became interested in the same political standpoint and ideology as my parents and grandparents. Ever since I was a child, my parents would always argue over politics which interested me, leading me to learn about the things they would argue over. As I became more curious, I would often find myself disagreeing with what my parents believed and would switch over the years between Democratic and Republican parties. Finally, I took a government class in highschool that led me to the realization of which ideology I agree with. All along, I have held the same as my parents and grandmother, conservative. The values that the conservative ideology holds is what has influenced my family. My father owns a construction company in Rockport, Texas and I work for him. Because of this, he has always agreed with the free market. In the textbook We the People: An Introduction to American Politics, the definition of deregulation is “a policy of reducing or eliminating regulatory restraints on the conduct of individuals or private institutions” (Ginsberg, Lowi, Weir, Tolbert, 2017, p.A37). Deregulation has the same meaning as free market and my best understanding of a free market could be described as a supply in demand of what a city needs for business rather than the government getting to control what can be established or not. Free market is so important to many business owners and is crucial for me and my father. This is a large reason we stand for the conservative ideology because it represents a free market.
Voting is not a really large matter to my family and never has been. I turned eighteen two years ago and have been eligible to vote but never have. My parents and I have always viewed voting as almost a waste of time. To us, one, two, or even three votes will not affect the polls and change who is elected. As I have been educated more on what ideologies are, why voting is important and why choosing Republican or Democratic is essential, I have decided that when the next election comes around, I will vote.
Being a conservative has shaped my values and my opinions largely. One of the biggest issues that occurs in America is gun control. In my ideology, how I was raised and what I believe, gun control is too restricting. Not only do I own guns, I know many people who do as well. I do not own a gun because I want to purposely kill an innocent person, I own one for protection. Safety to my family and myself is very crucial. The second amendment of the United States Constitution allows for citizens to bear arms, and the enforcement to gun control laws will not retain murderers from buying or getting guns and doing foolish acts. Conservatives, in general, would like fewer regulations so it is somewhat obvious that they would not agree with more restriction on gun laws. In parallel with the right to bear arms, conservatives also believe in freedom. In my opinion, making stricter gun laws is limiting their freedom to own them.
Another issue that takes place in the United States today and is one of the most discussed is immigration. President Trump, is trying his best to build a wall to keep immigrants out. Although I am Mexican and most people think that I despise the wall, I am actually in agreement. The wall will not restrict everyone outside of the border from coming in, but will protect America from illegal immigrants who refuse to get a passport for various reasons. Conservative Republicans give their consentment to the wall because they want America to be a safer place. While conservatives want the wall to be built for protection to our land, the Democratic party refuses and agrees that anyone who wants to enter the American lines should be able to. My opinion connects to the conservative ideology because I would like for America to be protected rather than not knowing who is entering.
Another concern between two seperate ideologies is taxes. Conservatives believe that taxes should be lowered and the government should become smaller so that those with wealth can better distribute their money where they would like to see it go. Having a limited government and lower taxes could potentially save the wealthy from having to pay for large government benefits like health care and such. Liberals prefer a large government and large taxation to help support lazy people without jobs and those who claim to have no money leading them to need help. I believe as a conservative that having a limited government and less taxes would be beneficial. Because my family has to pay high taxes in order for other people to get benefits, I do not agree with it.
The ideology of conservatism is largely reflected in the Republican party. Although not everyone who is conservative is Republican, I am. Whether I am conservative or liberal, I only have two choices today and that is Democratic or Republican. The Liberal ideology usually reflect Democratic ideas and conservative views are often times parallel to the Republican party. That is just commonly seen in the most recent elections and debates. If conservative and liberal ideologies were out of the question, I would still choose Republican. Besides my family’s political outlook on the conservative ideology, their influence on how I was raised, what morals I have been taught and where I grew up, formed my viewpoint. The conservative standpoint in each political scenario most closely represents how I would handle issues on my on if I could. Their realisticness and comparison between other ideologies ideas and how they perform foolishly, grab my vote. The conservative ideology best represents my life rather than the competing ideology (liberal or Democratic) because the ideas that they support do not agree with my opinions.
