What is a Conservative?

[Keith Broaders]

A Conservative is an individual who desires to preserve or maintain a particular set of values or the "status quo".  Whether or not being a Conservative is good or bad, depends entirely upon which set of values you are attempting to preserve.

The term liberal and conservative are labels that divide people into political factions that seek to lobby the government for to receive special benefits and privileges for themselves and their constituents.

In the 1770's, a colonist that supported King George and the British Parliament would have been classified as a Conservatives and those that opposed him would have been considered liberals. In the 1860's, individuals that were in favor of maintaining the institution of slavery would have been labeled as conservatives while  those who supported the  abolition of slavery would have been considered liberals.

With the ratification of the Constitution  our founding fathers created a government to preserve, protect and defend the God given rights of the people. Anyone that believes in this mission is a Constitutional Conservative,

A Constitutional Conservative is in actuality a Classical Liberal that favors  individualism over collectivism.  Labels are used to confuse and divide people in order to control them.

Those that are opposed to the principles articulated in our founding documents  want to abandon the principles of individual liberty and personal responsibility  We need to stop identifying ourselves with political labels such as liberal or conservative and start defining ourselves based on the principles we hold dear.

I do not consider myself a liberal or a conservative.  I am not a Republican or a Democrat. I don't lean to the right or to the left.  I simply believe that we were endowed by our Creator with the right to life, liberty and property.  I believe that governments derive their power from the consent of the voluntarily governed people and that we have a right to alter or abolish our government whenever we choose.

Today, we have been taught that to rebel against the tyranny and injustice of one's own government, is radical. However, in the 1770's this was considered a patriotic stand. We are no longer taught that we should always do what is right and that it is morally repugnant to God to obey unjust laws and submit to tyranny under false gods.

 

 

[Keith Broaders]

Those who supported King George wanted to preserve the status quo and were known as Loyalists or Tories. Those who wanted to preserve the institution of slavery were known as Democrats. Both of these groups were considered Conservative.

Those who opposed the King and the institution of slavery believed in liberty, equality and justice and would have been identified as Classical Liberals.