It's not an oxymoron. Seriously.

I've actually been criticized--mainly from the socially-conservative right--on my use of the term conservative feminist. Well, screw those people.

I've also had a lot of people look at me and tell me I look like a total hippie Bernie supporter. Well, while I surely supported Bernie Sanders in many of his policies in theory, his economic plan would simply not fly in a country that is as traditionally-capitalist as this one is (although, yes, there are a few socialistic programs we use--let me get to my point).

I do not mean conservative as in socially-conservative, and certainly not through any sort of feminism through the Tea Party movement. I mean, let's be honest, it would be just a tad difficult to be a supporter of such a socially-authoritarian movement and still consider yourself a supporter of women's rights. So no, I am not a Republican. Although, I once was.

That's not to say that there was not a time when the Republican Party was in support of causes by the Women's Rights Movement. While many seem to be in utter denial of this, the Republican Party platform was actually in adamant support of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) for 40 years, from 1940-1980. In 1980, after supporting the Equal Rights Amendment during his time as a governor in California and spending much of his time working to get the ERA amended in his state, Ronald Reagan switched his position on the Equal Rights Amendment in order to garner support from the New Right--a socially-conservative wing of the Republican Party that had continually been rallying up support within the party since the Civil-Rights-Act-disapproving presidential nominee Barry Goldwater in 1964. Reagan switched his position on the Equal Rights Amendment on the grounds of the fact that he now believed that the Equal Rights Amendment "did not protect the unborn". This as well as other stances he had ended up winning him most of the Bible Belt in the 1980 election ("End of an Era").

I first want to get past the negative stereotype that seemingly surround the word "feminist" in today's day and age: I do not, nor have I ever--and you may ask for numerous references to verify this--have ever hated men (for those of you who know me, I hope you find it humorous that I would even say such a thing). So, now that I got that off my chest, let's move on to what this article is truly trying to prove, shall we?

I am a conservative because I believe in self-reliance. In other words, if you do something, it's on you. After all, isn't independence the very foundation of human survival? As a woman, I do not believe my sex entitles me to anything. While I understand that, yes, individuals who were born with the same sex that I was born with were once oppressed for much of the time that civilized humans have ruled this planet, I do not believe that this is something that is still dramatically happening in the United States of America. Believe me, I know that there are millions of people in this country that would rather a woman dead than for an abortion to even occur. I know that there are still women who are denied access to affordable birth control. However, we, as women, have come so far in our search for our rights as women. We no longer are property, as we once were, we now hold jobs that were once solely held by men, and we do have the right to choose as to whether or not we want to have children. For me personally, I hope to help women in countries that are operated in a way in which women are basically property, and generally have minimal to zero rights as human beings (so, in other words, countries that operate under Islamic law). So many American women have the resources to help these women, and I certainly believe that the current Feminist Movement in this country has the resources to help these women in their every day struggle as human beings. I hope that, one day, I will help the Feminist Movement take more of a turn towards helping women that are going through these sorts of traumatic experiences in their every day lives.

However, despite my appeal to many social movements today, I do not believe entirely in the cause of many of these movements. For example, the #BlackLivesMatter movement is one that I am entirely divided on. Now, I will say this: I do absolutely agree--and I have personally seen through my own eyes what has happened to some black friends of mine--that the criminal justice system is one of the most racist institutions that we have in this country right now. Furthermore, the drug war is arguably (watch the movie Straight Outta Compton if you haven't, although I'm sure you have--I mean everyone's seen the movie it seems like) the most racist movement that has has set foot in this country. After all, according to the ACLU, black people are 3.73 times more likely than whites to be arrested for cannabis ("Marijuana Arrests by the Numbers"). However, the #BlackLivesMatter movement has been manifested in a way in which I do not quite understand. I do not believe that this raging hatred for every single police officer out there is something that should be part of the movement. If this is the goal of the movement--that is, to use violence to at least attempt to eradicate all police officers from existence--then I do not believe in such a movement.

I believe in The Constitution of the United States of America. I take every amendment to heart. I believe that each of the first ten amendments--so, The Bill of Rights--is undeniably relevant to even our society today, and that--as stated in the 10th Amendment--everything that is not mentioned in The Constitution should go back to the states for action.

I believe in a free market economy, meaning, by definition, that "the prices of goods and services are set by the forces of supply and demand are allowed to reach their point of equilibrium without intervention of government policy" (Dictionary.com). In other words, the government should be regulating the economy is very minimal--or, to some conservatives, even nonexistent--form.

I do not support leftist Keynesian economics, or a raise of the minimum wage. Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour or even up to $15 an hour will only cause the price everything to go up, because employers will--most likely--raise the prices of their products in order to be able to pay their minimum wage employees. Not only this, but many layoffs will occur because of the raise, specifically with small businesses. Employers may be on a tight budget and will not be able to pay as many workers as a result of the wage increase ("The ugly truth about a $15 minimum wage"). While raising the minimum wage is a phenomenal policy in theory, it's easy to see that it simply will not work in the world that we live in.

Now, I know what you're thinking: Kerry, why does all this information matter to this upcoming presidential race in particular? Why must I take your theory into account on this subject? You are just a cisgender, heterosexual white woman that knows so little about social change!

Well, okay, first of all, do not--ever--use that argument with me that I am not allowed to voice my opinion on any subject whenever I choose to. Oh, and, just for the record, I do want to make clear that I am, in no way, asking you to vote for a certain candidate in this upcoming presidential election. I am not trying to sway you into supporting the Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, and I am not trying to tell you not to stand with Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. What I do hope this article persuades you to do, however, is, when deciding who to vote for in this 2016 presidential race, you do not vote with your emotions, or certain parts of your body, or even your heart. You, instead, vote with your mind. Think about who your options are, and if you truly can map out in your head how they will help this country for the better. Do not vote for a candidate because of just one issue. Do not vote for a candidate because they are the same color as you. Do not vote for a candidate because they are the same sex as you. Vote for a candidate who will help represent the causes and policies you support, rather than supporting a candidate who represents who you are. We will only be able to fix the numerous problems that we have in this country--whether they are problems that affect racial minorities, LGBTQ folk, or women--when we understand that the policies we implement through the government can only operate successfully when we understand that standing together as a nation are the is the only way to fix our problems. Dividing people into groups is not the way to fix that problem, and while we are all different, we are still Americans.

After all, I may be the rarity that is a fiscally-conservative feminist. But I am still an American, and, most likely, you--the person reading this article--are too. With this being said, vote with your brain during this election, and nothing else.

"End of An Era." NYMag.com. New York Media LLC, 25 Mar. 2012. Web. 31 July 2016.

"Marijuana Arrests by the Numbers." American Civil Liberties Union. ACLU, 2016. Web. 31 July 2016.

Rensi, Ed. "The Ugly Truth About A $15 Minimum Wage." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 25 Apr. 2016. Web. 31 July 2016.