Conservatives' Values and Commitments
Since reading The Conscience of a Conservative (2007), one can infer that conservatives hold certain values that are correct and lead to the improvement of the ethical norms of society's members. Conservatives' commitments also compel them to express acceptable liberal positions on community issues.
Liberals' Focus on Economic Well-being
Goldwater contends that liberals are obsessed and mostly concentrate on concerns that help in the promotion of humanity's economic well-being, rather than the social well-being of people in society. As a result, liberals do not implement policies that aid in the process of liberating humanity from the myriad social issues that people face. In essence, "conservatives take account of the whole man, while the liberals tend to look at only the material side of man's nature." Therefore, the activities that the liberals undertake are partial and harness the society's political and economic welfare of the community to initiate some forms of progress, which adversely affect nature.
Liberals' Effects on Relationships and Dignity
The desires by the liberals to start some advances in society have led to the worsening of the relationships between community members, thus promoting the deterioration of the dignity of humanity. Specifically, the conservatives allow for activities such as abortion and advocate for changes that lead to the destruction of the environment. On the other hand, the conservatives are advocating for policies that are necessary for the promotion of the spiritual welfare of humankind, thus promoting favorable relationships between humanity, God, and nature. Therefore, through the principles that conservatives hold, humankind can enhance the levels of social security by ensuring that people accept that they are unique beings that need to take good care of others and the surrounding in general.
The Role of Government and Welfare
Question 2
What significantly surprises me in the text that Goldwater compiled is that the government should not compel people to participate in the welfare of other personalities in society, especially through taxation. The conservatives argue that the willingness to engage in the improvement of one's welfare critically acts as an impediment to the fundraising programs that charity organizations undertake. Therefore, according to the conservatives, it is necessary to let welfare be a private concern. - "Let it be promoted by individuals and families, by churches, private hospitals, religious service organizations, community charities, and other institutions that have been established for this purpose."
Conservatives' View on Government Interference
An analysis of the view that conservatives hold towards the welfare of society members indicates that they are against the government's involvement in the management of personal problems. Indeed, conservatives believe that it is necessary to let people live their lives without government's assistance or interference. For instance, conservatives opine that it is not appropriate for the government to change policies that concern the possession of guns in the US.
Conservatives' Perspective on Healthcare
The views that conservatives hold towards the provision of healthcare services, particularly the Affordable Care Act (2010), also indicate that, unlike the liberals, the conservatives think that it is necessary for people to cater for their healthcare needs. In reality, the perceptions of conservatives concerning world affairs have influenced Donald Trump and other Republicans to initiate various strategies that aim at repealing the healthcare policy mentioned above. The view of the conservatives concerning the welfare of the society sufficiently satisfies the needs of some community members but can critically lead to the emergence of some crises, which will adversely affect humankind in the future.
Bibliography
Goldwater, Barry M., The conscience of a conservative. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007.
