January, 2010
Conservatism My Way
Abby Walton
As a 20-year-old college student, I've already got a pretty good grasp on what I want to do with my life. I want to be a teacher. I want to be a mother. I want to be a woman with a happy life. This seems simple enough, but when I discussed this with a friend of mine from back home in Indiana, she berated me as “old-fashioned,” “subservient” and “ruining the women's rights movement we worked so hard to achieve.” Simply put, I took great offense to this tirade because I feel, as a woman, I have every right to decide what I want to do with my life. If these feminists were to really demonstrate their beliefs on equality for women, they would respect my decision to follow in the footsteps of my mother and grandmother in becoming a teacher and putting my future family before the career I'm working so hard at UF to earn.
I really think Phyllis Schlafly had it right. The woman is the central figure in the family, and if she feels obligated to stay home with her children, then that's ok. If a woman feels the need to work for a living, that's fine as well. Every woman deserves the freedom to choose her own path in life and should be respected for it--not frowned upon. Conservatives embrace this choice and respect the role of women as the caretaker and glue that holds the family together. Coming from a conservative family, I was brought up to embrace traditional values, but I was never discouraged from any kind of career path or goal that I may have desired because of my upbringing and family values. All of these choices are totally my own.
As a conservative, I feel my individual freedoms are protected. Lower taxes mean more money for me to spend and save for myself and my future family. Conservatives endorse choice in schools, supporting charter schools, private school vouchers and home schooling, so I know my children will get the best possible education to fit their needs. Fiscal responsibility and small government mean less debt will be passed on to the next generation of Americans. Less red tape and regulations mean more jobs and economic growth and security for my children's future. Conservatives endorse clean energy production that will create jobs as well as preserve our planet so my children can inherit a better and cleaner planet.
All things considered, I've always felt conservatism provides the best blueprint for me and my future family. I'm proud to be a conservative and as a conservative, I feel secure that my rights are protected, the future will be secure and America will remain the greatest nation on Earth. Like everything else, I value my choices in the political arena, and I choose to call myself a conservative.