Angela Chavez POLS-2300-001 Professor Shari L.

Sowards 25th February 2014 A Liberal United States From the time of our Founding Fathers to the present hour, the United States of America has been a country full of ideologies, some of which we used to originate this country. Since then, there are numerous beliefs and opinions that shape the country and the government that runs it. Conservatism and Liberalism have been the two main ideologies to define the US. While they can be broken down into sub-parts, for the purpose of this paper, they will be kept as wholes. It is difficult to address just which one of these ideologies is the dominant one of the US today. But with careful examination and justifiable evidence, it can be said that the dominant ideology of the United States today is, in fact, Liberalism. Liberalism promotes individual liberty and works to create or preserve an open and tolerant society in which the members are free to pursue their own ideas and interest with as little interference, from the government, as possible. Some of the early writers, such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, argued that everyone has a natural right to be free, along with the rights of life and property. And it is the duty of the government to protect those rights and not interfere with them. If they fail to do so, the people have a right to revolt. But with the passing years, liberalism began to reshape itself. The government was no longer seen as a necessary evil, as Thomas Paine has presented it, but instead, it is now seen as an ally to help promote individual liberty. And a main provision that has seemed to dictate the liberal ideal is the belief of equality. Every person should be treated equally and be provided with equal opportunities. Overall, even after years of change, the liberal ideology has always been to promote freedom for all. There are many reasons that can be used to justify the claim of Liberalism being the dominant ideology of the United States today. First, the current government has a liberal president in office. President Obama is serving his second term and is known for his controversial policies. One of the most debated policies he has enacted is the health care reform

bill. Also known as the Affordable Care Act, President Obama proposed an expansion of health insurance coverage to cover the uninsured, to cap premium increases, and to allow people to retain their coverage when they leave or change jobs. Among other conditions, this act is better known for the provision that requires every American to carry health insurance. According to the President, this condition was set in order for every American to have equal health coverage. Second, many of the provocative issues states must face in bills include the notion of equality and the freedom of choice. As of February 2014, 17 states have legalized gay marriage. This issue is usually faced with resistance from conservatives. But according to many liberals and their ideals, the government should have no say in whom a person decides to marry; there should be equality in marriage, but more importantly, equality and freedom of choice. There are many other issues concerning choice, that have been brought up and their legality questioned some of which include the legalization of marijuana, euthanasia, and the issue of abortion. The liberal ideal has always been of people having the freedom to choose and not having to deal with a government that chooses for them. Though these topics are being debated within the government to this day, it cannot be denied that the people believe in the freedom of choice and equality. Finally, this year, the President gave his State of the Union address, which not only outline what has been done and what will be done for the country, but it also exemplified many ideologies that leaned heavily towards a liberal view. Some of the Presidents key points included: raising the minimum wage, calling on passing the immigration reform, to expand preschool programs to be more accessible to all, ending the war on terror, and promoting the Affordable Care Act. State of the Union addresses have always been known to promote a current presidents ideologies and this years was no exception. While it is evident that the government is currently, severely divided, the President did not falter in encouraging his liberal ideals. The United States of America is a melting pot. With people from all over the world, this country is filled with many different cultures, languages, religions, and so forth. But it is also filled with many different beliefs those of which influence how the people choose when voting. Though it is stipulated that Liberalism is the main ideology of the US today, there is still plenty of others, mainly Conservatism, which cause clashes between the people not only citizens, but especially politicians. This country was founded on the idea of equality and freedom. And while

those two ideals have been questioned and expanded, they continue to dominate current political thoughts and decisions.