Let us Clearly Define Conservative and Liberal

I will describe the liberal point of view, following the same format my opponent has already laid out. Before I begin I would like to say that it is hard for me to speak on behalf of all liberals in America, seeing as there is a wide range of opinions among us. I will attempt to represent the liberal side as best I can, but some liberals may disagree with me on a few small issues. Because this is more of a description of opinions than an argument, I will not provide statistics or sources for my views. 1. Capital Punishment: Liberals believe the Death Penalty is morally wrong and ineffective in reducing murder rates. We believe it is hypocritical for a society to punish murder with murder, and we also point out that many people who are killed by the state are later found to be innocent. Their death is, in our opinion, unnecessary and morally reprehensible. 2. Gun Control: With the highest gun-related death rate in the world, liberals believe something must be done about gun violence in America. It is the liberal view that outlawing certain types of firearms and ammunition will be effective in reducing gun violence, particularly the school shootings that have been all over the news lately. (I personally am more moderate on this issue; I only believe in strict, universal background checks). We do believe Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms, but we argue that some small steps must be taken to address the problem. 3. Abortion: Liberals have varying degrees of support for abortion, but the overall consensus is that it should be safe, legal, and rare. We believe women have the right to make choices about their own reproductive health. Most liberals agree that abortion is not necessarily a good thing, but it is not up to the government to regulate a woman's body. We also suggest that if abortions were outlawed, there would still be a black market for them that would be much more dangerous. Examples of this can be found in many third world countries. 4. LGBT Rights: We believe everyone in the LGBT community should be allowed the same right to marriage as a traditional couple. We believe sexuality is not a choice, and that discrimination against anyone who is not heterosexual is unjust. We also point out that heterosexuals are given multiple benefits through marriage that LGBT members are not. The Declaration of Independence states that we all have the right to the pursuit of happiness, and we believe this should not be denied to anyone. 5. Foreign Policy: Liberals believe diplomacy should come first before war. Similarly to our stance on the death penalty, we believe torture is an immoral and ineffective measure to stop terrorism. If peace cannot be reached, we believe that war may be necessary. We believe that America spends an unnecessary amount of money on the military, although we don't deny the importance of defending our country. 6. Economic System: Contrary to popular belief, we are not communists. We believe in well-regulated capitalism that allows for a free market, but does not allow corporations to take advantage of its workers or consumers. We also believe that tax cuts for high income Americans only benefit the wealthy. In our opinion, by putting more money in the pocket of the consumer, there is more spending in the economy. This promotes growth and stimulates the economy from the inside, rather than from the top. 7. Welfare: We believe in having a social safety net that no citizens should have to fall below. This, we say, can be achieved through government programs such as welfare, food stamps, and unemployment benefits. We do not believe anyone should take advantage of the system, rather, we believe these programs provide an opportunity for low-income citizens to stay financially stable until they are able to become self-sufficient. We view drug testing for welfare as an unconstitutional, ineffective, and highly expensive way to eliminate fraud. We also state that programs such as food stamps are beneficial to the entire community because that money is put directly back into the economy by its recipients. 8. The National Debt: We view the national debt as a long term problem, but a problem none the less. We argue that reducing the debt can be achieved through small cuts in spending and small increases in taxes. This problem won't be solved in the near future, but we believe combining these two methods can slowly decrease our debt over time. 9. Creationism/Evolution Controversy: We believe that creationism is not solid science and should not be taught in any schools. We argue that an overwhelming majority of scientists support the theory of evolution, and we have not seen sufficient evidence from the other side to support an alternative argument. We see evidence of evolution through fossil records, viruses adapting to their environments, and by studying microorganisms. We do believe that parents should have the right to teach their children what they believe, but we believe it is a school's educational duty to teach the accepted scientific theory of evolution. I would like to thank Bubbatheclown for creating this discussion and for voicing the conservative opinion with respect and politeness. Hopefully our posts will dispel any myths about liberalism or conservatism. Thank you for reading!