You want a political party to lean against excessive expenditure and government ambition. That's what makes a person conservative.
Make that opposition to all government and you are not conservative. You are an anarchist.
Treat people who are vulnerable as if they are wicked and you are not conservative. You are just unkind. By all means separate freeloaders from the vulnerable, but don't do so at the expense of the vulnerable.
Support a strong military, but not a military above all else. It is only a macho virtue to have the biggest muscles. It is healthy simply to be fit.
It is not conservative to think the market is always right. It is conservative to believe in seeking to solve issues to do with negative market externalities. Doing so as lightly as possible doesn't rule out government involvement. Collaboration often works as well as other solutions.
It is conservative to have the scientific method at the heart of your political thinking. Conservatism is an enlightenment philosophy. Faith is not a conservative political model. It is a religious principle designed for use in a church.
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