The ideals and makeup of liberals and conservatives are sometimes radically different, yet these same beliefs work together to form the basic structure of American political thought. Both have the same goals of prosperity, yet they have opposite ways of achieving them. Ideologically, they are at odds with the size of government and the role it plays. Some want a big government that provides for the people, while others choose a small government that does not interfere with people's lives. As expected, liberals tend to vote for some issues that conservatives will disagree with and vice versa. Of course the issues are not random, each side will vote for and against particular types of issues. From a demographic perspective it is possible to predict, to some extent, which school of thought someone belongs to based on their social status, ethnicity or even their level of education; however, it is more difficult to do so accurately using these factors. Each faction, with its own different points of view, constitutes much of modern political thought in America. The main ideological issue that separates liberals and conservatives is the role government plays in people's lives. Typically, liberals believe that the purpose of government's existence is to serve the people by ensuring their needs: “Dworkin, for example, argues that justice is the essential motive of liberalism and that the duty of the state is to ensure a fair and equitable opportunity for all to thrive in a civil society” (Wiggins 2). Of course, the government must be huge to provide for the needs of the masses. The Conservatives, on the other hand, shy away from large governments, partly because of the British government's despised centralized governments... middle of paper... which does more for the people, while the Conservatives want a smaller one that he maintains his own affairs. On these issues, liberals will vote to gain more freedoms and extend existing ones, while liberals will mostly vote to cut taxes and decrease government spending. Additionally, demographics have a lasting impact on which party they identify with. While they differ in how to accomplish the tasks, the steps to accomplish the task can be drastically different. Works CitedSaad, Lydia. “Graphics Demonstrating Political Affiliation in the United States,” Gallop Polling Today. March 15, 2011 page. 27-31Wiggins, Nelson. Liberals and conservatives in the contemporary United States: A study of refractive political dynamics. Boston: Harvard Press, 2011Wilson, James Q., and John J. DiIulio. American government. Boston: Division of Houghton Mifflin College, 2005. Print.