Conservatism vs.
Progressivism
What’s the difference between a conservative
and a progressive? Here are three examples.
#1 Conservatives and progressives have different views about
individuals and communities. Conservatives ask, “What can I do for myself, my family,
my community, and my fellow citizens?“ Progressives ask, "What is
unfair, what am I owed, what has offended me today, and what must my country do
for me?"
The traditional American ethic of achievement
gives way to the progressive ethic of aggrievement. As opposed to a
variety of individuals making up one American community, progressives seek to
place individuals in a variety of competing communities. The first
creates unity. The second, identity politics.
#2 Conservatives and progressives have different views about
diversity and choice.
For progressives, different ethnicities and gender identities are welcomed but
a variety of opinions and ideas are not. Just look at two areas of public
life dominated by the left. On college campuses, free speech is under
attack. If you’re a conservative working at a social media company or
using one of their platforms to share your views, you may find your job
eliminated or your account deleted. And when it comes to choice,
progressives love the word but they don’t want it to apply to our decisions on
education, health care, and even how and where we live out our religious
faith.
Conservatives take a different approach.
Parents, not the ZIP code they live in, should choose a school that is best for
their child. We all need health care, but we don’t all need the same kind
or same amount. And while people should be free to live as they choose,
no one should be forced to endorse or celebrate those choices if it violates
their religious beliefs. Conservatives say people should have
choices. Progressives say one political solution fits all.
#3 Conservatives and progressives have a different view of we the
people. Whether it’s the
Second Amendment, immigration, or putting limits on abortion, if we the people
don’t pass laws progressives approve, they turn to judges, executive orders,
and government bureaucrats behind closed doors to overturn the will of
voters.
Whatever one may think about the wisdom of
hiking the minimum wage, banning plastic straws, or removing controversial
historical monuments, conservatives believe voters closest to the issues should
be the ones making such decisions for their communities, not lawmakers in
Washington or a panel of judges five states away.
To sum it up, conservatives believe in individual rights,
not special rights. Conservatives believe in
allowing Texas to be Texas and Vermont to be Vermont. And conservatives
believe we the people can vote with our feet about where we want to live and
under what laws we want to live under.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.