What is YOUR definition of a Conservative?

What is YOUR definition of a Conservative?

I have asked my friends and readers to send me an email letting me know what their idea, their personal definition of a Conservative is, what it means to them, and I made them fully aware that their thoughts and ideas would be published.

So, for the sake of argument, I have the official definition of the word conservative listed as well as some information from Thesaurus.com just to make everyone aware that there really is some conflicting information out there on the web.

According to the dictionary a conservative is someone who is conservative in principles, actions, habits, etc., a supporter of conservative political policies, (initial capital letter) a member of a Conservative political party, a person that is preservative.

OK, I can accept that, but how do you explain this?

According to Thesaurus.com a conservative is; a reactionary, timid, traditional, firm, fuddy-duddy, quiet, right of center, conventional, die-hard, undaring, white bread redneck.

Wait, what?

You don’t suppose that the folks at Thesaurus.com might be some sort of Liberal, left wing, socialistic, Democratic scumbags do you?

This is a long post, it seems my friends and family have a lot to say about Conservatism and what it means to them … so it begins; my 1st respondent to the question “What is YOUR definition of a Conservative” is Rodney Leach.

I believe a conservative first and foremost loves and believes in God and Country, A person that believes in a balanced budget and controlled spending. Thinks that less is more when it comes to Government. Believes in a honest hard days work. Not in hand outs. Someone who understands the difference between welfare and earned entitlements. A person that supports our military first and stupid government programs last. One who understands and supports the 2nd amendment. I will leave it there.
May God Bless us all
Rodney Leach

And then this from my great friend and mentor, Mr. Alan Caruba.

A conservative is someone who, politically, pays his highest loyalty to the Constitution and believes it means what it says. He believes that the rights it protects and the freedom it embodies come from God. After that, he wants a smaller federal government, but one that meets its obligation to maintain a strong military. He wants that government to be fiscally prudent, imposing taxes to underwrite its governance, but avoiding excessive regulation to ensure a free market economy.

— Alan Caruba

From my longtime friend, blogger and fellow patriot, Cary Cartter.

A conservative? That’s easy - someone who believes that each person is accountable for their own actions. Someone who believes that each person is responsible for their own decisions. Someone who believes that actions speak louder, and more accurately, than words. Someone who believes that the Constitution is perfectly good as a yardstick to measure all things governmental against - and to use that same document to eliminate the mission creep that has been going on since the early 1900s or so. Someone who believes that the money they earn should be theirs to use as they see fit. Someone who believes in the power of the Free Market. Someone who believes that people, when left to their own devices and a set of parameters with which to work, will be more successful for a longer period of time than people for whom everything is provided.

Cary Cartter
Semper Fi!
In GOD We Trust

From my Son, Trey Witzell

When I hear the word “Conservative”, I immediately think of someone who is pro-life. I know being a Conservative is a lot more than that, so I guess being pro-life is just a main point for me. If I were to list the priorities that I think a candidate claiming to be a Conservative should have, they would be:

1. Pro-life
2. Pro-Constitution
3. Being a true, willing servant of WE THE PEOPLE
4. Putting the USA and Her safety, health, and prosperity first
5. Remaining grounded
6. Willing to work with other political parties to better America, without jeopardizing their own morals
7. Faith

Yes indeed, we raised that young man well I believe, and from another longtime friend, fellow blogger and patriot, Gary Moorhead.

Fred, My thoughts (or passion) regarding my position as a conservative:

“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same… So help me God.”

God, family, Country. A conservative is one who prioritizes his life, who is constantly seeking to better himself, and seeks to live free under the constitution of the United States, regarding others as equals and insuring the foundation of our country is firm and resolute.

From my great friend and neighbor, Native Son

“Conservative” to me means many things, some of which include:
Honesty-if you say something, MEAN it and, DO IT (or don’t do it, whatever the case may be)!

Often times gratification MUST be delayed until it can be afforded…which leads to having to make decisions between “needs” and “wants” with the former coming sooner and the latter (maybe never) but definitely was after the needs are met.

If you CAN meet your own needs it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to do so (not the government’s)! (Notice nothing was said about easily meeting your own needs…And, your “wants” are 100% YOUR RESPONSIBILITY (NEVER THE GOVERNMENT’S)!!!

A Conservative believes, cherishes and ferociously guards “individual, personal rights”, unless those rights must be over-ruled (for good reason) by societal rights (which is WAY LESS than most believe)

Lastly; a Conservative places the needs of the nation and the people far above the ideals of the Party.

From my East Texas friend Mike Flynn.

Last Tuesday I watched in disbelief as the Republican Party completely denied the wishes of the majority of its members and returned John Boehner as speaker of the house. I watched the vote come in and time after time Republicans who had promised to oust John Boehner voted for the man. All this did was set in concrete the fact that most Republicans in Congress are as corrupt as anyone in organized crime. . I have listened to Republicans cry out how they would bring to justice those responsible for scandals too numerous to mention. No one has yet been punished for any of them. Republicans have talked for years about the overspending in the government, balancing the budget, high taxes and too many regulations. Over my lifetime I have watched men and women enter Congress with modest means only to retire as millionaires. But now in this information age we find that the Republicans are right there along with their cronies the Democrats spending, taxing and worst of all lying to the American people. I have been told repeatedly a third-party would go nowhere and only ensure of never having a Republican majority again. So what? When Republicans do have a majority they accomplish nothing but mouth excuse after excuse of why they can’t change things. I have watched C-SPAN and members of Congress standing almost by themselves giving speeches to an empty hall-meaningless! Where are the others? Members of Congress do very little except give speeches and collect money to ensure their own reelection all the while bringing the country to the edge of ruin. All I am opting out of that and will be changing my voter registration from Republican to independent as soon as possible. Who will I vote for, only those that tell the truth and accomplish something. I am not quitting but I no longer will stand by and watch as obvious criminals run our country into the ground and being a Republican just means that I would continue to be part of a two headed snake.

And finally, from my friend Kiril Kundurazieff in Houston:

While rights like Freedom of Speech (Writing on your Blog!) and Freedom of the Press (Publishing a Blog!) get all the attention in the Constitution, the smaller liberties you can enjoy every day in America are no less important, or worthy of celebration.

Your right to go bike riding on the weekend, listen to Classical Music (or Rap, even!), read a good book, shop where you want and listen to any Liberal, or Conservative, talk radio show you please, can be just as fulfilling as your right to vote for the President of the United States of America.

Maybe even more so because you enjoy these freedoms personally and often.

So take a moment to celebrate all the little liberties you enjoy in America.

Or, FORGET all this and choose to take them for granted — it’s a free country.

FREEDOM.

Appreciate it. Cherish it. Protect it. Or LOSE IT!

Because there are people, from ordinary citizens to community leaders and local, state and national politicians who daily work to change America from a Constitutional Republic to something else entirely.

Most folks, when they think of Conservative Bloggers, and Conservative Opinion, think of a large, and well known, selection of Bloggers, and print, radio, and TV authors, and pundits, and various active, and retired politicians, but there are thousands of ordinary people out there expressing themselves on blogs, on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, Stumble Upon, and many other similar websites, and networks.

We are Americans who believe in ourselves, and our nation, and have at least some little bit of faith, whether in a God, or in ourselves, in order to accomplish anything worthwhile in this world, and this life.

Kiril Kundurazieff
Writer based in Houston, Texas

I can’t disagree with any of these wonderful comments about true Conservatism, my friends and family are well read and very intelligent political observers. My thoughts on the subject are as follows:

There are very few in those Hallowed Halls that actually are or can even define the word Conservative. I find myself believing Conservatism to encompass all of the above thoughts from my friends and family, my only addition to their ideas and definition would be to add *America 1st Patriot and staunch Constitutionalist* to the list.

Term limits would effectively solve a lot of the issues we have with 20, 30 or more years of long-serving politicos but term limits will NEVER come to pass. Once the Congressional elite have fed at the teat of the nation they won’t turn loose come hell or high water.

I am completely convinced that prostitution is the 2nd oldest profession, with politics being 1st and they do bear many similarities. A politician will tell you anything they believe you want to hear in order to garner your vote but once in office we see the REAL character of the elected official and we revert to being *the unwashed masses*, and are of no use to them until the next election cycle.

Any of our elected officials that don’t do that, the ones that actually follow the rules and the Constitution are true Conservatives and fully embrace true Conservative principle are worthy of remaining in office for a few years, but in my mind, no longer than 12 years total, regardless of how good they may be at their job.

The corruption of Washington corrupts all of them after a long period of time and then most, if not all focus on Conservative principles is lost and it’s every fat hog for himself.

If you didn’t get your comment in to me before this was published, please, don’t hesitate to leave your thoughts and definitions in the comments section of this post, and please, if you like the work I am doing, share it with everyone you know, your friends, family and contacts.

Readership is down and I hope to spread my message far and wide, YOU can help me do that!