Conservatism defined.

I often describe myself as a Conservative and, because I believe in Conservative principles, I find myself increasingly at odds with Republicanism.

Unfortunately, I've found that there are surprisingly few people who actually understand the 'definition' of Conservatism and who, more often than not, are following a party ideology blindly.

I refuse to be one of those people. I refuse to simply fall in line when a politician -- any politician -- simply pays lip service to my concerns or ignores them altogether.

So, what does a Conservative believe? Lyn Nofziger wrote:

I would define a conservative, first as one who believes in the Constitution as it is written. That takes care of free speech, freedom of religion, the right to petition the government, the right to keep and bear arms and, in the words of William O. Douglas in one of his saner moments, 'the right to be let alone.'

Second, a conservative believes in small, limited government at every level. Along with this he believes strongly in individual responsibility. That is, a person or a family should take care of itself and turn for help to government only when all other means have been exhausted. It also means that society, before government, has a duty to take care of its own. Government should be a resource of last resort.

Third, a conservative believes taxes should be levied for the purpose of financing the limited responsibilities of government such as providing for the common defense, catching and incarcerating criminals, minting money and filling potholes. Taxes should not be levied for the purpose of redistributing wealth ...

One other thing I think a conservative believes is that the parents, not government, are and should be responsible for the upbringing and behavior of their children.