Within the relatively narrow American framework of political ideology, which leaves little room for left-wing diversity, I would be classified somewhere between a general liberal and a libertarian. Many of my beliefs are libertarian, such as my firm conviction that drug prohibition has failed miserably and is a dangerous policy to perpetuate. However, some of my core beliefs are more socialist in nature, such as my strong conviction that Americans should not just have universal access to K-12 education, but also to higher education and health care services. One could easily say that I would be comfortable in a Northern European country, where it is possible to hold socialist and libertarian values together. American left-wing ranter extraordinare and linguist Noam Chomsky calls himself a libertarian socialist, a term I do not find entirely distasteful (Chomsky & Otero, 2003. However, labels and tags never seem to work for describing the complexity of beliefs that comprise an intelligent political ideology. Just as coloring inside the lines is anathema to the creative spirit, forcing issue beliefs into the square holes of rigid political ideology is unhealthy and damaging for the democratic process. Therefore, I will only say that I have sympathy for the ideologies that are social liberalism, libertarianism, and socialism.
Libertarian socialism might seem like a strange and even contradictory ideology. It is sometimes misunderstood. DeHavilland (2003) claims that it is
When I took my first survey Political Typology, it said that I was a strong liberalist, a person that strongly believes that America's success is linked to its ability to change rather than relying on long-standing principles. Liberalists believe that good diplomacy – rather than military strength – is the best way to ensure peace. After taking the second survey it also says that I'm a libertarian, who abdicates maximizing individual rights and then attend the role of the state.
An ideology is a group of ideas (social, economic, culture, etc) about life and accepted as reality by the majority of people in a society. These set of ideas are used by different organizations in the society such as: school, and government, among other, to reinforce such ideology. In a society an ideology serves as means to perpetuate and justify the power of the dominant group.
The idea of political culture is found within the state’s history. The history of the state is impacted by the people settled in the region, religious backgrounds, and geography. The history of the state influences the attitudes and beliefs that people hold regarding their political system. Daniel Elazar theorized a connection between the states’ history and attitude towards government by explaining differences in government between states. Every state is different with some common ground. Elazar’s theory divides states into three types: moralistic, traditionalistic and individualistic. The state’s constitution defines the powers of government with political culture bias. Because of the state constitution, the political culture
The concept of property has long been one of the most crucial aspects for the U.S. citizens, as it is a major part of the Constitutional, and, therefore, human rights. Although the perception and understanding of “property” have been considerably changed, especially in terms of political and philosophical vision, it still has a particular meaning for the Americans. In general, the idea of property is the question of the political thought and conceptualized thinking common for the United States. In most cases, its transformations are connected to the introduction of capitalism and related governmental decision in politics. Therefore, as any other topic, the value of property has undergone harsh debates. In particular, such important figures as James Fenimore Cooper, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Walt Whitman have developed a fundamental scope of analyses with regard to the property rights in America.
Outside of the political spectrum, there is another group of organizations that have perhaps and even stronger grasp on the media than media regulators themselves. The incredibly complex and well organized drug cartels that base themselves mostly in northern Mexico and along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico are in many ways the most influential organizations in the nation’s media. As mentioned earlier, Mexican citizens were granted freedom of the press in the 1857 Federal Constitution giving them expressional rights that closely resembled the United States’ on paper. However, as the cartels ran rampant throughout the country some indirect restrictions were put on these rights. The cartels employ ruthless violence and torture in order to punish those who oppose them, including journalists and reporters who attempt to portray them in a negative light. Over the past decade “there have been ‘172 attacks on press freedom, including nine journalists and two media workers killed’” (Hernandez-Garcia 2012). As a result, anyone reporting on the drug wars is essentially risking his or her own life; a risk the majority of reporters are not willing to take. The fear of being found and captured by the cartel is enough to cause a chilling effect among reporters and even stop some news outlets from reporting on the cartel’s actions at all. That’s not to say that news of the cartels’ actions doesn’t get released to the public. Lepe summarized the media portrayals of the cartel as such:
Living in the United States some people may forget how closely our political perspectives are to each other relative to those of foreign countries. While there are many political views and stances that an individual might take on any given topic, generally people in the United States fall into one of three categories: liberals, conservatives, and libertarians. Keep in mind that most people will not support all of the ideals of their advocated faction, but they must support the vast majority of them.
This was the party slogan for the political culture in George Orwell’s novel, 1984; a stark, depressing world where “Big Brother” is watching you at all times. The political culture of the Untied States, thankfully, is a much more democratic and freeing environment. “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...” is what we live by, not “Freedom is slavery.” The political culture of the United States is made up of two main concepts: liberty and equality. These will be discussed in this paper.
I am more of a liberal because I value diversity, fairness, and curiosity. I am unimpressed by traditions simply because they exist. I am always skeptical of authorities and have little impulse to bow down to them. I'm an independent thinker who thinks rationally about every topic rather than just resorting to what other progressives think about a topic. I oppose with death penalty because I believe the death penalty is inhumane and is cruel and unusual punishment. It does not deter crime. It would be better if the person could stay in jail for the rest of his life instead of killing him the crime he had committed. I support more regulation and services like free universal health care to be provided by the government to all citizens. The government
A population’s views on political issues may change as different circumstances occur each day. The environment around us has a powerful influence on the decisions that we produce and the views that we as American citizens choose to hold. After a semester in political science class my views and my political ideology have altered. Today I will explain how political science class has influenced my political ideology.
However, most of the candidates running for office do not support my beliefs other than Bernie Sanders. As mentioned in class, Texas falls under the purple quadrant, which doesn't make me a “True Texan”. I am, however a strong believer in the belief of social and economic freedom for each person. I was not too surprised by what I received on the quiz. I had a feeling that I would receive libertarian, but not necessarily left libertarian. I can now consider myself a bit of a left libertarian. A left libertarian is someone who likes libertarianism primarily for its commitment to social freedoms. I support liberty and freedom in all walks of American life, but I am mainly concerned with social freedoms. I also believe that while it is important
Republicanism is a term that has been viewed differently during the development and early days of the United States of America, as well as into present day (1). However, the portion of republicanism that was widely agreed upon is that it is in opposition to a monarchy (the form of government used by Great Britain) and the country is instead ruled by the people. Having once been a part of Great Britain, the Founding Fathers (i.e. Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and many others) agreed that they were opposed to having a monarch ruling over America, and instead wanted the people to rule. The Founders, in the beginning were skeptical of a direct democracy due to the fear of a majority taking over, nonetheless, they still wanted
Upon entering my first semester at Southern Nazarene University I could not have told you my political ideology. I knew what my opinions, observations, expectations, and ideals were, but did not know the proper ideology that would define them. Through several courses that I have taken, I have become more informed as to the role that I would like to see the government take throughout society as a whole and in the economy. Upon reading the section of ideology in American Government and Politics Today: the Essentials I learned that the correct term for my ideology is right-wing Conservatism. I would like to see the government take action if necessary in the economy, yet let
Amid the Bush years, liberalism was pummeled and sidelined. After a procession of lackluster candidates, such as Al Gore, Howard Dean and John Kerry, the thought of a Democrat that could successfully lead a liberal renaissance was a preposterous notion. At the same time, signs of a rebirth could be seen. In Washington, well off liberals started financing progressive ventures and perfecting social media organizing. It appeared to be the coming of the renaissance. Then came 2008, the most extraordinary election in recent memory.
Based on the above information I feel and know that my beliefs are gear more toward Social Democracy than the others. I’m a firm believer in gradual and upward changes for all people (citizens and immigrants). But I believe in the basis of liberalism too with the understanding that tolerance played a major component in our everyday lives.
Beginning with Nixon and continuing with Reagan after the radical changes of American culture in the sixties and seventies, Americans would begin to shift towards more conservative ideas unsure of the rapid radical change. In the 1994 mid term elections, the American people would elect a congress of mostly conservatives for the first time in nearly 50 years. At the core of this success would be the Contract with America. A set of promises and goals devised by conservative congressional representative Newt Gingrich. In 2000 the Republicans (modern conservative party) would retain the Congress and capture the White House. Conservatism has been a leading political ideology since the inception of the United States to