Jose Cordova

09-Feb-11
Political Outlook Piece

I grew up in a military environment, my father was in The Ecuadorian Army and I
studied in a Military High School.
Probably all these facts could affect, or may be avoid the need of a political ideology.
In Ecuador, a few years ago military people were not granted the right to vote. This
means that with the Constitution of 2008, military people are eligible to vote if desired. I
was no isolated from the world, so with education I was able to find some ideas that I
think are good from both ideologies: liberals and conservators.
I would qualify myself as a moderate person, because I find good things from liberals
and conservators, so I think they are both complimentary.
First, based on a research, I want to make a comparison between both parties, here in
The United States. I will start with common aspects of both parties:
1. Both parties today want to change the unsatisfactory status quo- but the
Republicans, backed by lobbyists for various insurance, pharmaceutical,
tobacco, gun and other commercial interests, want to turn the clock back to pre-
New Deal days, while the Democrats want to tackle the new challenges to job
security created by trade and technology.
2. Both parties seek to balance the federal budget over time by reducing the size
and cost of government, but the Republicans approach is far harsher than the
Democrats to the young, the ill, the elderly and the least fortunate.
3. Both Parties denounce crime and violence on our streets, but only the democrats
target the underlying causes of that crime and violence and the guns with which
so much of it is committed.
1


Now I would like to show some of the differences founded on my research:
Differences in Principles
Democrats Republicans
Political Philosophy Liberal; progressive:
experimental: reformist:
tolerant of leftists
Conservative; standpat;
pro-status quo; intolerant
of leftists
Constitutional
Interpretation
Broad interpretation; big
government; weak states
rights; strong presidents
Narrow interpretation;
small government; states
rights; weak
Constitutional executives
Social Philosophy Human Rights paramount;
pro-masses; pro welfare-
state; pro immigrant
Property rights and rugged
individualism emphasized,
anti-welfare; anti-
immigrant
National Economy Managed economy, Private enterprise and free

1
SORENSEN, Theodore, Why I am a Democrat, Henry Halt and company, Inc, New York 1996, page 6
governmental curbs on
trusts and monopoly; low
tariff; minimum wage
initiative; pro big business;
protective tarife; anti
minimum wage
Fiscal Policy Loose money; inflation;
unbalanced budgets; low
interest rates
Sound money; frugality in
government; balanced
budget; high interest
rates
2


Once I get all this information, I affirm that I am a moderate person, because I am in
favor of some of the ideas of both parties.

I conclude that I am moderate, because in 1998 after a bank crisis in my country, my
family lost a lot of money. I was feeling that my college education could be
compromised. Sometimes there are some opportunities for people that work hard. In
my case I had to work so hard in order to get the scholarship to The Naval Academy.
Opposite to the ideology of conservators, I and my family are changing the status-
quo. Thanks to an opportunity offered to people without a high income.
I like the idea to develop big enterprises with low taxes and protective tariffs to
business, because what people need is an employ, not the government to give
money for free. People will understand the necessity of working hard and the
satisfaction that they are moving into a change.


2
BAILEY Thomas, Democrats Vs Republicans, Meredith Press., New York, 1968, page 145
In Ecuador we do not have just two political parties, but the conservator and the
liberal parties are the oldest parties.
These two parties are considered the traditional parties. Because they have not
offered a notable change or at least move Ecuador into a more productive country,
there are new parties that have become stronger in the lasts years, I would say that
these parties are a little more moderate. The parties follow the populism and
socialism. These tendencies have reached the power in the last 20 years and in my
point of view, they have not done anything better than the other ones.

Due to the lack of success from the liberal and conservator parties, they are not
currently working. The two similar tendencies are a mixture between liberal and
conservator with moderate ideologies. The liberal-moderate they are supported by
the middle class people while the conservator moderate supported by the big
business people. Both of them try to offer the same, reduction in taxes, rise the
economy by supporting middle and small enterprises, free health, social security and
stop corruption. Alliances have an important role, because the minorities in the
highlands and in the coast are decisive factors that can push to one side or the
other.
The problem is that keep alliances becomes difficult and these minorities sometimes
rise against the government and because of this some of our presidents have been
taken out of the government.