Having lived my entire life in Massachusetts, my conservative political beliefs have been examined under a high-resolution microscope by those around me for quite some time, for the simple reason that conservatives are a rarity in these parts. Many New Englanders have their views of conservatives shaped by liberal educators, liberal news channels and liberal friends, creating a caricature of the extreme and obstructionist conservative that otherwise level-headed, but sheltered, liberals seem to have ingrained in their heads. I hope this letter will serve to, for maybe the first time in the lives of some readers, introduce conservatism from the perspective of someone who actually lives it every day. I am a conservative because, unlike statist liberalism, conservatism believes in the great potential and self-worth of each individual on the planet.
Statism is the ideology of “no you can’t,” the ideology that believes the government is better equipped to make many of your life decisions for you, such as how much gas mileage your car should get or what kind of lightbulb you should be allowed to buy. Conservatism does not look down on people from a condescending, elitist, holier-than-thou viewpoint, but rather embraces the ability of the individual to make his own decisions, and trusts the individual to take responsibility for the consequences of his own actions, treating adults like adults, rather than children who need to be monitored.
As Tucker Carlson once said of liberal Massachusetts, it is “like your bitchy spinster aunt telling you to sit up straight.” I am a conservative because conservatism is a positive ideology, appealing to the best in people. Conservatism is blind to race, gender and religion, rewarding hard work rather than punishing it. Conversely, progressive liberalism is a negative ideology, feeding on divisiveness and hate. As evidenced by the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin tragedy and the Department of Health and Human Services’ blatant disregard for the First Amendment, progressive liberalism must pit groups against each other to engender hatred, white against black, man against woman, church against state. Because progressive liberalism is a series of feel-good policies with disastrous real-world results, liberals must resort to these sorts of identity politics and appeal to the worst parts of human nature in order to resonate with the public.
I am a conservative because conservatism works. The free market has been the most successful vehicle for creating wealth and seeing it move through all classes, like John Kennedy’s “rising tide” lifting all ships. Limited taxation not only stimulates economic growth, but also sends money flowing into government coffers through taxation on the resulting higher economic output. Big government liberalism results in the opposite: Economic stagnation coupled with the aforementioned social ills ginned up by liberal elites. If the preceding paragraphs have not convinced you, ponder this question: If big-government liberalism is so great, how come the USSR needed a wall to keep people in?
– Patrick O’Neil is a sophomore business administration major.
