What is Conservatism?
I am a conservative. Not that I’m for the Republican party, in fact I am registered as an independent. But I am a political conservative. Not that I am a partisan. Not that I want to take America backward 50 years, 100 years, or 200 years–I do not. Conservative does not mean bigot, racist, traditionalist, or backwoods hick as some would insist. It does not mean “rich white men” dominating and oppressing everybody else. It does not mean that I want to legislate my brand of morality deep into the bedroom of every American home.
But it does mean, among other things, that I believe that the fundamental principals that made America strong, if continually embraced by the popular majority, will keep America strong (And the fundamental principles that made America strong are recorded in the US Constitution as well as the Bill of Rights).
True Conservatism hopes for one nation open to all people seeking to be free. True Conservatism offers freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of self-defense, freedom of the press, freedom to self-rule, freedom to own property, freedom from excessive taxation, freedom from an oppressive government, freedom to earn an income and to own a business. And, possibly and most importantly, freedom to disagree without fear of persecution or threat of hate and ostracism from the fellow citizenry.
What does it mean to be a Conservative? It means that we hope to build and restore a land where freedom abounds for all people, and for all kinds of people. If that’s what it means to be a Conservative, then I am indeed a Conservative–so too should be every person longing for freedom and deliverance from any kind of oppression.
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Most of what you said can be considered very conservative indeed. I would merely limit it to what you said regarding the Constitution and Bill of Rights. That should be enough. Of course, with that, a conservative should uphold free market principles alongside that of personal liberty. They go hand in hand.