conservatism
1 capitalized a : the principles and policies of a Conservative party b : the Conservative party
2 a : disposition in politics to preserve what is established b : a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability, stressing established institutions, and preferring gradual development to abrupt change 3 : the tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change

conservative
1: preservative 2 a: of or relating to a philosophy of conservatism b: capitalized : of or constituting a political party professing the principles of conservatism: as (1): of or constituting a party of the United Kingdom advocating support of established institutions (2): progressive conservative 3 a: tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions : traditional b: marked by moderation or caution (a conservative estimate) c: marked by or relating to traditional norms of taste, elegance, style, or manners 4: of, relating to, or practicing Conservative Judaism

Okay, I've been seeing the word conservative thrown around almost like a swear word lately. Read the two definitions above carefully. Then ask yourselves, just how fast do you want this world to change? Are you willing to throw money to people that you know will simply waste? No? Then you are conservative. Do some of the new policies of the administration scare you with the amount of change they are proposing? Then you are being conservative. Would you rather people left you alone so you can get on with your life? Then you are a conservative. Are you concerned about whether or not your kids can go to school without getting shot, mugged or otherwise attacked as they walk? That make you a conservative. So lets explore this a little more, no that you may be re-evaluating yourself.

When you strip away all the luxuries and force a person to focus on pure survival, it doesn't matter how liberal, leftist, Marxist or whatever you want to call it, they will quickly become conservative. It is a survival mechanism. You begin to horde your resources. Your ability to empathize with others is suppressed. You ask yourself, “How will helping them help me?” Is that selfish? Yes, but it is required when your very survival is at stake. Altruism is very nice when you can afford it, but gets thrown out of the window when your life is at stake.

Now apply this to politics. The conservatives in office aren't some sort of knuckle dragging caveman. Quite often they are well educated people that have seen what can happen in the real world. They are the ones who question whether or not the government should even get involved in an issue. For instance, should the government pass a law regarding “sexting”? That is what the conservatives debate and discuss. They rarely debate the need for change, but more along the lines of what kind of change and how much is needed. And that is where people and the press start painting them in an evil light.

How you ask? Well, let's look at that. The conservatives in office wanted to do a minimal involvement with the large banks. Possibly even breaking them apart using the anti-trust laws. They did this with U.S. Steel Corp, Ma Bell, Standard Oil, American Tobacco and many others. It was even discussed about doing this with Microsoft. When a single company can pull the entire nation down with it, there is a problem. They also argued that in a true free market economy, the market would self correct if the government took a minimal roll. Instead, they got overridden and a bill that is spending trillions of dollars the government doesn't actually have was passed that has not really shown any sign of helping.

Conservative banks are also the ones that didn't get into trouble with sub-prime loans. Why? Because they fully realized that they were risking other peoples money. Money that people had trusted them with to protect. Yet now, because they were careful and conservative, they are getting in trouble for not giving enough sub-prime loans. That is entirely backwards. Being conservative with other peoples money is wrong? How?

Another point towards everybody actually being a conservative is when it come to personal finances. Stop and think about this. When it comes to an individual, they always compare how much is coming in versus how much they are spending. Maybe not as closely as they should, but they are doing it. Gas hits $4.23 a gallon, they start driving less to lower that cost. Their electric bill jumps 30%, they make sure they turn off lights and anything they don't actually need. They've been eating organic food only to discover that it costs an extra 20% to 30% more, they start using the same stuff that everybody else uses. That is being conservative.

Now, I call myself conservative, but I don't consider myself a republican. I am also not a democrat. If I ever start voting, I will base my vote upon who I feel more closely matches my views on the issues. I could not bring myself to vote for somebody that hasn't spent time in the service for president. The president should have inside experience before being placed in control of one of the powerful militaries in the world. I also can't vote for people that want to enact laws and regulations on what I can or cannot do in my free time. That impinges on my personal freedoms.

And before too many of you begin trying to attack me for being a conservative, just remember, it is the conservatives that raise their right hand to protect others. They are fully willing to die to protect the right for somebody to call them a murder. Can you say you have it in you do the same? I do. I spent four years in the army placing my life on the line protecting those that said we were all just a bunch of killers at heart. That is a true sign of a conservative, willing to protect something with their very lives. How many of you liberals are willing to die for any of your causes?

So next time you want to use the word conservative as a derogatory term, think about it. It was conservative that made sure the press won't be in trouble for asking questions about the government. It was conservatives who allowed the technological revolution to take place. They have been a little slow on the uptake, but they realized that it was one genie that couldn't be kept in a bottle.

Above all, always think for yourself. Don't let somebody tell you what to think about an issue. Get the facts, ponder them, discuss them and make up your own damn mind. That is conservatism as well.

When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer "Present" or "Not guilty."
- Theodore Roosevelt