I have heard it said by friends that they think of liberals as promoting policies that stem from the heart while conservatives think from the head. Although this may not be completely accurate for every conservative or liberal, I do believe that this description of the two major sides of most issues can be seen throughout conservative and liberal policies. For example, liberals are repeatedly outspoken when it comes to policies that expand the social safety net, for taxing the rich and giving money to the poor. I believe that much of these policies stem from a genuine moral standing on the part of liberal politicians and voters. Conservatives tend to shy away from policies that expand the welfare system because they genuinely believe that the …show more content…
As a conservative think tank, the Alabama Policy Institute desires to promote policies that unleash the power of the free market and give businesses the means to grow and produce. In the book, Brooks cites various reasons that there are so many people in America that are living in poverty, and an unhealthy attitude towards work is one of the most damaging reasons. With the government 's expanded welfare system, Brooks argues that the people who are receiving these benefits often get their benefits taken away when they get a job, even if that job is not enough to provide for the family that it has affected. This leads to welfare recipients who are actually better off without looking for jobs. I saw a snapshot of this problem with my work at the API, as counties that were heavily poor and had high percentages of welfare recipients were often the districts that were miserably failing standardized tests, some with less than 1% passing. I believe that Brooks ' argument about the importance of work is manifested in these low test scores, where students examples are often parents and family members who are not working yet receive checks in the mail for unemployment benefits. Children in these poor districts may simple not have a healthy work ethic demonstrated to them because of the distaste for work, creating