What Makes Up a Conservative?

So asks Jenn, the Conservative Chic:


I've always considered myself a Conservative, but lately a question has come up that I felt I needed to delve into deeper. What is a Conservative? The official definition is this......

[Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favor tradition and gradual change, where tradition refers to religious, cultural, or nationally defined beliefs and customs. Conservatism as a political philosophy is difficult to define, encompassing numerous movements, and conservatives sometimes disagree about which parts of a culture are most worthy of preservation.]

As I've been reading about it, I've discovered that it means many different things to different people. ["Conservatism is made up of several different ideologies; Religious conservative, cultural conservative, economic conservative, compassionate conservative, social conservative, paleo-conservative, and neo-conservative."] It isn't just a black and white picture. There are too many gray areas, that I am just beginning to understand. Robert recently did a post regarding his take on Conservatism and I highly recommend you check it out here. I agree with many of his points regarding less government control over our lives. Now on the other side of the spectrum, I suggest you visit a post called Truly Conservative by Tom. He is a liberal and has different viewpoints of what an actual Conservative is. He also makes many valid points.

For me personally, this is a learning process. I haven't been in this whole political scene for long and to be honest, don't have all the answers. (although some would probably be helpful) LOL The more I look into the policies and political issues, the more I realize that there is no one set answer. There is no clear definition and I think it is different for everybody. To help you understand where I am coming from I will give you a few examples from my point of view.....

1. Gun control - I feel it is my right as a United States Citizen to own a gun, although I feel there should be adequate safety procedures to keep everyone safe.

2. Abortion - It is wrong to kill an innocent baby for your convenience. If there is an oops, or even God forbid a rape, then there is always the morning after pill, which I have no problem with.

3. Illegal Immigration - No amnesty. I welcome all immigrants who come to this country legally.

4. Terrorism - Keep our country safe from terrorists at all costs. Without security we don't have a country to worry about.

5. Social Security - It's broken and needs to be fixed. Refer to Roberts post, because I think his idea has merit.

6. Entitlements - I think there needs to be strict guidelines regarding them but some are necessary to preserve the lives of those not educated enough, poor, or unable to work, to make sure theie basic needs provided for. (And I don't mean designer clothes)

7. Bible - I believe in the Bible and use it as a guideline, although I don't take every word literally. I use it along with my own brain to make my decisions, rather that a strict set of rules to follow.

8. Politically Correctness/ACLU - I'm not sure which one of them I hate more!

The following is three quotes someone wrote, not getting into names, that I felt the need to comment on.

[For example, Church organizations and charities are wonderful ways to assist the poor and show our Christian love for our neighbors, but it is not Biblical for people to be forced to provide for the poor through taxation, nor to provide so many government sponsored entitlements that the poor ceases to work towards earning their way out of poverty, instead becoming dependent upon governmental assistance.]

[The American pursuit of happiness, then, naturally includes the pursuit of wealth. In the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith's character seeks wealth so that he can take better care of his son, and not have to remain in a position of poverty. Reaching financial success, for him, was happiness, not because of the money, but because of the security for his family.]

[In a competitive world, success is naturally defined in the terms of money, power, and influence.]

Yes, some people do abuse the system and there should be strict guidelines in place to prevent that. I am on disability. I can't work, although, the past few years I've tried really hard. I worked as an EMT until my anxiety got in the way of helping others. I have no choice. I didn't just decide one day that I didn't feel like working anymore, quit, and then decided to take from the government. Believe me, I would trade my health in a heartbeat to be able to go back to work again. My husband works his ass off because my disability check sure isn't going to pay the bills. We manage to keep our heads above water for the most part. Does being on disability make me lazy or poor? No, but it does make us dependant on the government. What entitlements do you think we should do away with. Disability? Unemployment? Food Stamps? Discount lunches? Please don't get me wrong, I feel that those with money have earned it and I don't envy them nor do I feel they should be punished for their success.

When I think of happiness, I don't think of wealth, power, nor influence. It's having a loving family around me, knowing that they are safe and protected and knowing they have a roof over their head, healthy food to help them grow and an education to help them learn. Happiness to me is in the simple things. Watching the boys play baseball and laughing because they look more like the bad news bears than the Yankees. I'm kind of getting off topic here, but think you understand what I am getting at.

I came across this post called if Conservatives have their way, along my journey and would really like your input on it. Although I didn't agree with most of it, there were some things that made me go hmm. I consider myself a Conservative, but what that means to you and what that means to me, may be two totally different things. Knowledge is a strong tool and one that I strive for. The farther I get into politics the more I take away from different viewpoints. And I look forward to hearing yours. What makes you a Conservative? What makes you a Libertarian? What makes you a Liberal?


The TrekMedic adds:

Works for me,....