Conservative Response to Liberalism - Part #1

Today I am going to start a series of writings in response to an article I found while wandering the Internet entitled "Proud To Be Liberal - Why Liberal values are American values" by Brian McKinley. In it, McKinley attempts to show that Liberalism is what being American should be. So, piece by piece, I will offer the rebuttal for conservatism... and yes, I have invited Mr. McKinley to join the conversation if he feels so inspired to do so.
First off, I would like to assert the fact that I do not assume all liberals wrong all the time. I simply want to take the time to point out the differences between liberalism and conservatism as I see them. And no, this doesn't mean the difference between Democrat and Republican. This is more about an ideology; a way of thinking and looking at political problems. So, anyway, here is the first section of Mr. McKinley's article.
"Liberalism is "Life." It is freedom from physical dangers that can kill or disable us. The Liberal believes it is a nation's job to protect its citizens from physical harm, whether from external sources, such as hostile nations, or internal ones, like crime, disease, or hunger. Without the solid ground of physical well being, our nation and its citizens cannot enjoy the benefits of being free. Liberals believe in a strong military, well suited to defend the nation. Liberals believe in good laws, hard-working police, and a just legal system to protect its citizens from crime. Liberals believe in affordable health care for everyone, to keep our people strong. And Liberals believe in the availability of food and shelter for its needy, not as a hand out but as a reasonable step in moving all Americans toward self-reliance and the freedom that comes with it."
Well, I would say that we are not far away from a common path here. Conservatism is also life. Conservatives believe that this country's government was put in place to protect it's citizenry from the threats that would seek to damage it. Conservatives also believe, of course, that people should be safe from the worry of disease, hunger, and crime. It's how to go about that protection that brings about the difference in ideas.
First off, the protection from outside threats, such as terrorism or hostile countries. A Conservative holds that a strong military is the best way to safety. If a country looks on the US and knows that they will be destroyed immediately with any sort of offensive action against us, they will seriously think twice before doing any harm to us. For instance, if you look at the history of the Cold War between the US and Russia, the real turning point came when Reagan proposed the 'Star Wars' missile defense system. This prompted the Russians to put so much into there military spending to try and keep up with us that their economy effectively collapsed. They were left with no choice but to back off or destroy their own people. A strong military is the best defense system. (To give a modern perspective on this, President Obama is currently slashing huge amounts of money from defense budgets, during a time when the US is being threatened from many countries around the world. To a Conservative, that is a dangerous idea.)
As far as protection from crime, disease, and hunger, a Conservative believes that the best way to do this is to promote a system which encourages and allows the individual to freely prosper. The citizenry's health and well being can be assured through providing a climate that is free of obstacles blocking freedoms, like high tax levels. For example, if a business is thinking of expanding outward to produce more goods, the first thing it will look at is taxes. How much does the additional tax burden cost? Then, or course, there is the loopholes to jump through for building on new land, the licensing and restrictions put in place by local, state, and national governments to take into consideration, etc. It quickly would discourage many businesses from expanding. But what if that business was in a climate with low taxes, so that was not a big concern? What if the business was in a climate that promoted business expansion? What if the business didn't have to work 3 years in order to get through the loopholes and obtain the licensing necessary before being able to expand, when those additional goods may not be in as high of demand anyway? This business then becomes an economic boost. It can grow, and hire more workers, and give those workers benefits they may not have access to. This business creates a competition in the workplace. Are the wages/benefits good there? More quality workers will try to get the job. Are the wages/benefits bad there? Workers will find elsewhere to work.
This is capitalism and Conservatism working hand in hand to ensure that the economy is strong, thus ensuring people have the access to the health and wellness they desire. Plus, if there is more opportunity for business to grow in a low tax environment, there will be more business, more population, more housing, more schools, etc. It all goes hand in hand. Even Liberals would end up happy in the end, because all the new businesses and housing and services, while getting taxed at a much lower rate, would end up bringing in more revenue to local governments just by size.
So, Conservatism believes in peoples freedoms through economic expansion and competition; ie: capitalism. If you start on that side of the coin, the bottom end of the spectrum will be taken care of naturally. And, as a bonus to the whole thing, the local governments will have more money in the end to support shelters for the homeless, police and fire stations for protection, etc. Liberalism says to start at the bottom and work upward. Prop up the poor by taxing the top end. This only serves to stifle economic growth and lead to big government.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I know, its getting long, but it is important... I believe it to be, anyway. As always, feel free to comment below and open up this conversation.