Liberals’ and conservatives’ beliefs about tax policy are different. Liberals seem to believe that taxes are a federal entitlement. They want high taxes for high level of government services and state control over the economy. They believe that tax money should be spent by the government on large government programs that provide services to people instead of by the taxpayers themselves. Furthermore, liberals believe that tax policy should be used to provide wealth distribution from the rich to the poor. In contrast, conservatives view taxes as a tool to provide for the common good, and “they believe that free market forces can more efficiently run large programs than the government can” (Fiorina 612). They want to lower taxes or have large tax cuts and a reduction in government services and regulation. Conservatives believe that large government programs are not productive and taxpayers should have a say about the use of their money for services that directly affect them. (Fiorina 610-611).
Another issue where conservatives and liberals differ is healthcare. They both agree that everyone needs health care, but they disagree what the government’s responsibility should be. Liberals believe that it is the government’s responsibility to provide lifetime health care. They believe this should be provided by government regulated HMO organizations funded by tax dollars. They believe that it is immoral for anyone to go without health insurance in such a rich country. In contrast, conservatives think that the government has limited health care responsibility. They believe that the government should provide tax incentives to people so they can buy their own health insurance. They also believe that the government should provide limited healthcare to the poor and the aged (Fiorina 564-566).
Liberals and conservatives have great differences about the environment and how to protect it. Liberals want to regulate business to protect natural resources. They believe that if the environment is not protected, there will be no more businesses. They believe that saving the environment is a largely untapped field that could serve as a broad market creating jobs and technology that will pay for itself. Liberals want to steer away from nuclear, coal, and oil fuels. They believe that unchecked pollution of the environment will eventually destroy much of the world and much of humankind. On the other hand, conservatives favor businesses than the environment. Although they do favor voluntary environmental laws, businesses will not protect the environment if they are not required to. They also favor U.S reliance on oil (Fiorina 583-584). Conservatives support exploration of federal land for new energy sources. They “have proposed opening protected national monuments and parks to destructive development and drilling” (“Issue Contrast: Environment” 1). .
National defense is another major issue that has arisen, especially in the past year. Liberals believe that terrorism is a complex problem with complex solutions and they believe that war should only be used as a last resort. They want to reduce government spending on the military. Liberals think that “excessive defense spending saps money from more important priorities” and can lead the U.S. into conflict that wouldn't have existed otherwise (Fiorina 647). They think that these programs are unnecessary, cost too much and are highly unlikely to work. Conversely, conservatives believe that the way to defeat terrorism is through military action, and they think that the U.S. should create a missile defense shield. They think that war is the solution to many foreign policy problems. They believe that the U.S. should spend a lot of money on defense, even in times of peace (Fiorina 645-649).
Conservatives and liberals believe that education, taxes, public health care, the environment, and defense are important issues for the United States, but they have different beliefs about the best approach for these policies. They also have very different views about the way this country should be run and the role of government. Liberals believe that government is to provide for the people and the people should provide for the government. However, conservatives believe that the government’s responsibility is to create an economy and setting where people can earn decent wages thereby making them self-reliant.
Works Cited
Fiorina, Morris P., et al. The New American Democracy. 3rd ed. New York: Longman, 2003.
“Issue Contrast: Education.” Democratic National Committee. March 5, 2003 <http://www.democrats.org/issues/display.html? issue=education>.
“Issue Contrast: Environment.” Democratic National Committee. March 5, 2003 <http://www.democrats.org/issues/display.html? issue=environment>.