What does it mean to be a conservative?
463341
they dont want change and dont usually respect others thoughts and beleifs
1067476
I am conservative, but do not belong to any political party in particular.  Although there are many liberals and liberal organizations in power (NOW, PETA, ACLU) who take the view of the extremes most liberals on the street are suffering from various levels of ignorance about what they are really supporting. \n\nWhen it comes to ordinary everyday people, Liberals tend to be those who think with their hearts when it comes to decisions affecting others.  People who think with their hearts tend to consider how their decisions affect the individuals involved.  They tend to work well with individuals or small groups in helping careers such as teaching and nursing.  This is no reflection of their intelligence, because there are plenty of intelligent liberals out there.  It is only an indication of how they make decisions.  People who think with their hearts may need to put extra effort in learning to look at the logical side of things when making decisions in politics.  Liberals also tend to jump feet first into accepting new ideas hoping that the ideas will work, so that they can be on the ground floor.\n\nOn the other hand, conservatives tend to think with their heads.  They focus on how their decisions affect the group as a whole.  They usually work better in logical fields such as in laboratory science or the law.  This is not a reflection on conservatives ability for compassion, but only on how they make decisions.  People who think with their heads may need to put extra effort into considering how their decisions affect the individuals involved.  Conservatives tend to look before they leap and accepting new ideas only if there is good reason to believe that those ideas will work better than those that are in place.  They are more likely to give up being on the ground floor in favor of caution. \n\nMost people are somewhere in the middle of the road.\n\nThat having been said.  Running the government (as opposed to a local club or group) requires much thinking in terms of the whole group.  There is no way that a federal government over 300 million people or even a town government over 3,000 can meet the needs of every individual in those groups.  The federal government should limit itself to issues affecting the country at large (national defense, disputes between the states, etc).  State governments should limit itself to issues which affect itself as a whole (maintaining state highways, justice systems, etc).  All other issues (schools, county road and park maintenence, zoning laws, etc) should be handled by local governments.  The needs of individuals should be handled by families, churches, and private charities.
360848
Theocratic Conservative.  Otherwise known as the religious right.
668570
Most people start out as liberal when they're young. When they begin to amass things in their life - family, house, savings - most then gradually become conservative as they recognize that they had to work hard for what they have and they don't think it fair that other people should share when they didn't work for it (the ant and the grasshopper story is a good example).\n\nThe Democrats used to be the conservative party. During the late 60s and 70s, the parties gradually switched orientation so that now the Republicans are conservative. It has been an interesting time watching this happen over my lifetime.
678617
Right Wing means you are a conservative Republican.  Their philosophical emphasis includes:\n\n1)  personal responsibility, not government entitlements\n\n2)  inclusion of religion in society, or at least tolerance of religious symbols and mentioning of religious ideas\n\n3)  tough on immigration, punishment for crime, etc.\n\n4)  anti Judicial activist; they want judges to interpret the Constitution as it was written, not to use it for changing the law\n\n5)  generally wants smaller government, and lower taxes
252462
conservatives like to talk, liberals take action...\n\nTHANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
959698
It's inherent in the idea of tradition and conformity, which are strong conservative values.\n\nThe conservative model advocates slow change, conformity and respect for doing things the same way they had been done. They oppose radical shifts, and fringe or alternative lifestyles, because those tend to be (as they believe) destablizing influences.\n\nThey also tend to believe that groups make decisions better than individuals, and that people should not be allowed to make choices that are harmful. It's a very parental attitude.
830772
Bush isn't a conservative in the traditional sense but then again, what is the traditional sense anymore. Many moderate democrats like Bill Clinton were as conservative with social programs as what is called a 'conservative' Republican today.\n\nTo answer your question, there do appear to be different types of conservatives... maybe categories is a different word.\n\nCompassinate conservatism - a made-up word to win votes that supposedly meant they would not cut social programs for the poor and less fortunate yet they would apply more restrictions in order to eliminate those just wanting to bleed the system.\n\nFiscally responsible conservatism - low governmental spending is the primary goal.. kind of like a corporation trying to keep it's overheard at the bottom line. At lot of corporations that do this end up with disgruntled employees that feel resentful for working everyday and just being able to get by while their labor makes the stock holders rich.\n\nReligious/Social conservatism - This is the category Bush falls in. This group believes it has the moral authority to dictate to the rest of society how they should behave, raise their children and what society is to tolerate. Acceptance to this group is a dirty word.
699164
Conservatives are pro-business. Conservatives believe in lower taxes for the wealthiest (even if the result is government deficit spending) in the belief that the wealthy will invest that money in the stock market and businesses will hire more people with the additional investment. Conservatives do not believe in environmental regulations that can cause businesses to spend more money to keep pollutants out of the air. Conservatives believe in government regulation of peoples lives (such as abortion and laws against gay people).\n\nLiberals believe in higher taxes for the wealthiest to redistribute the wealth in the form of government services such as welfare for those living in poverty. Until welfare reform in the 1990s, the welfare system in the United States was often abused by those who were not truly needy. Liberals believe in environmental regulation and a cleaner environment, even if businesses have to install equipment to release less pollutants into the atmosphere. Liberals believe in less government interference in peoples personal lives (such as laws allowing abortion and laws protecting people from discrimination).\n\nAlthough most Americans are registered with the Conservative Republican Party or with the Liberal Democratic Party, many Americans do not always vote for the candidate of their party's choosing. These 'cross-over" voters combined with Independent voters result in federal elections that are often decided by slim margins.
814877
I am a conservative.\nI do NOT support sanctions and laws against gays marrying and women having abortions.\nThey are definently moral  AND political issues.\nThe reason it is a political issue is the fear of change and the fear that someones morals are not going to be the same.  If it was just a moral issue there would be no laws abridging the issues.\n\nWhat you are looking at is the Republican party platform.  There are real conservatives out here and we want real change.
223170
The word Liberal and Conservative don't mean SHIT! The assholes that like to lable themselves conservatives are usually rich sons of bitches or the mindless minons that believe the bullshit they shovel.\n\nFor the most part the conservatives who label people liberal are usually a bunch of freaks and weridos who are equally rich political lap dogs of the wealthly who are using the equally blind for support to get elected. These people also don't do shit for the people. \n\nThe words liberal and conservative don't fit the true definition of the word(s). \n\nLiberate, to set free\nConservation, to protect, or not waste\n\nIt all a bunch of bull shit and if you use these words to label yourself or lable someone else you're an idiot and a minon of the mass media. \n\nFor the most part I agree with you that the so called "conservatives" seem to be are card carrying members of the NRA and enjoy NASCAR. (Right Wing minons)\n\nAnd the so called liberals are a bunch of wanabe hippies.
1005125
Most common traits of a "Reagan Conservative" are:   strong military, lower taxes, slow expansion of government, fiscal responsibility.  There are others on the list, but they are open for discussion.
1059286
Most Roman Catholics tend to be pretty conservative - I definitely am!!  You might want to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church for more information.
862541
You really answered your own question. To me being a moderate means keeping an open mind. It means being able to see more than one point of view on any issue. It means not holding any extreme position on any issue: not too far to the left and not too far to the right. To me it also means being tolerant of other peoples' opinions even when they don't agree with your own.
379606
There are many different kinds of conservatives. The Economist had an interesting article about the evolution of American Conservatism (which is very different than its counterparts in other parts of the world) a couple of months ago. Traditionally, conservatives want smaller government, less government interference in our private lives, and the government to be accountable for its spending (it should be noted that the first usages of the word liberalism had similar meanings).\n\nMost of the conservatives who are in power today are not of the traditional variety, they are social conservatives, or as some like to call them, neo-cons. They want their social agenda as the law. This is in direct contrast to more traditional conservatives (who now mostly identify themselves as libertarians) who want the government not to regulate or interfere in people's private lives.\n\nIt should also be noted that while conservatives say they want less in the way of entitlement programs, and are fiscally "conservative," the Clinton administration was the one who reformed welfare and balanced the budget, while the Bush administration had the largest increase in entitlement programs in over a decade, and doesn't seem to know what a balanced budget means. Liberalism does not necessarily equal large entitlement schemes, just like conservatism does not necessarily mean someone is fiscally responsible. Labels are usually misleading.
64982
Conservative thinking is about making the ordianry people feel surprised about the things you mentioned. For them is all part of a plan which is to get filthy rich by exhausting resources all over the world.
366101
OK break out your dictionary:\nliberal:\na-Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry. \nb-Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded. \n\nI am a liberal. I volunteer at food pantries and soup kitchens. I donate to Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army. Most of these groups are run by Christian organizations, although I don't consider them conservative.\n\nLet's define conservative:\na-Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change.\nb-a supporter or advocate of traditional ideas and behavior\n\nWhich of these 2 definitions fits better with "helping your fellow man"? I think it fits better with liberalism, (Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, free from bigotry) not conservatism (tending to oppose change).\n\nThe reason "liberals" complained about Bush's Supreme Court picks is because they were afraid of what these people would do to the Constitution and Bill of Rights if given the chance.\n\nPick up a history book sometime. Remember who championed the Civil Rights movement? Kennedy - a liberal democrat. Who started Social Security? FDR - a liberal Democrat. Who started Habitat for Humanity? Jimmy Carter - a liberal Democrat. Notice a pattern here?