Why am I a conservative?

One of my liberal friends told me I was an "Idiot" for my conservative political views. John Kerry recently said to explain the recent conservative trends that we are living in a "period of know nothingism." So why are we conservative anyway? What is conservatism?

Another interesting fact is that polls shows we are a conservative leaning country, and always have been. A recent poll I read showed that 60% of Americans considered themselves at least moderately conservative. So does that mean 60% of people are "idiots."

Let's consider the reasons why people are conservative. Why am I a conservative?

1. I believe that people are smart, and know better than experts at the State Level
2. Likewise, I believe people are smart enough to solve their own problems and don't need to rely on the government to solve their problems for them
   
3. I believe in individual rights of men
4. I believe in a limited government
5. I believe in personal accountability
6. I believe the government is there to protect us from each other, not from ourselves
7. I believe our freedoms come from God or nature and not from a Constitution
8. I believe the U.S. Constitution protects our God given freedoms, or it protects the freedoms that we are born with
9. Being born free, only a government can take those inalienable freedoms away
10. The Bible preaches individualism, and thus encourages us to make our own choices and allows us to be personally held accountable for the choices we make.
11. Thus, I want to make my own decisions, and to learn from my mistakes
12. I believe I am not accountable to the government, the government is accountable to me
13. I don't want my government in my life taking away my personal choice.
14. I don't want anyone running my life and telling me what to do
15. I believe the government should be limited; should have limited power
16. I believe it is better to do nothing than to do something stupid
17. I believe that laws are good, but I know every new law takes away another freedom, and therefore laws should be made with this discretion.
18. I believe given the easy way out, most humans will take the easy route (yet the road to hell has a wide entry way, and the road to Heaven is a narrow opening)
19. I believe that once we have a crutch, we won't want to give it up. Once we create a nanny state, most people won't want to leave the nest for fear of falling. And if you try to take away the nanny, riots will ensue (hence the chaos theory and the NWO)
20. I believe problems are best solved locally rather than by government officials miles away
21. I believe in realism, whereby problems are best dealt with on a case by case matter
22. I believe people are imperfect, and this includes all government officials (including the experts who are supposed to make decisons that are best for us)
23. I believe that once you create a crutch people will become dependent on it and will not allow you to take it away. They will become dependence of the State.
24. I believe if you are making decisions for people, you better know you are right. And since most people are imperfect, it is impossible to make the right decision for all people.
25. I believe tax increases beyond a certain point will result in less revenue to the government, and a diminished incentive to spend and invest (Google Laffer curve)
26. I believe by teaching individualism, the Bible preaches Capitalism
27. I believe Capitalism is the best way to get the most out of the most people
28. Therefore, I believe capitalism results in the best (although still not perfect) economic system.
29. I believe some laws are necessary, but too many laws encourages people to ignore them, and may result in chaos (see what happens when taxes are too high -- people skirt them)
30. I believe a perfect, ideal, Utopian society is not possible
31. I believe in the rights of men as opposed to the rights of man
32. I believe too many government programs results in corrupt people, and wasted money
33. I believe people are better at spending their money than the government
34. I believe people are more likely to give to charities if the government gets out of their way, than the government will give to charities through our tax collections
35. I believe the most important role of government is to defend and protect us, not just from each other, but from other nations pent on destroying us
36. I believe the second most important role of government is to create a good economic environment
37. I believe an honest government breeds confidence
38. I believe too much government breeds dishonesty and corruption and loss of confidence
39. I believe the private sector creates jobs, not the government
40. I believe political decisions must be made on facts rather than feelings and emotion
41. I believe we must study and learn from history so we repeat what works and do not repeat what has never worked
42. I believe in American exceptionalism; that we set the example for others to follow
43. I believe in the rule of law as opposed to the rule of man
44. I believe in the Constitution
45. I believe in Judges must rule based on the laws on the books for the U.S., and not on the ideal standards they want for America (their personal views)
46. I believe those who violate the law should be punished to the full extent of the law in order to set an example to others that if you violate the law you too will be punished
47. I understand the fact that no nation has ever taxed or spent itself into prosperity
48. I believe in the freedom of speech for all people, even for those of whom I disagree
49. I believe we should be humble and tolerant of other people
50. I believe if left alone to their own devices people will prosper
51. I believe people are inherently good, especially those who believe in a higher power
52. I understand a person is more likely to improve his lot in life if he has the incentive to do so
53. That the best incentive to succeed is the ability to keep what one earns by hard work
54. That hard work and determination are the best ways to improve your lot in this life
55. I understand charitable contributions are greater when taxes are lowest
56. I believe conservatism is the same as capitalism
57. I believe competition breeds exceptionalism
58. I believe government is a necessary evil; in it's worse state, and intolerable one. (Thomas Paine
59. That taxation is necessary to build and repair roads, provide a national defense, and to provide the essentials for an international infrastructure
60. I believe minimal laws are needed to protect us from one another
61. I believe the Constitution provides us the right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It does not guarantee us happiness
62. I believe healthcare is not a right, but a privilege
63. I believe in the 10th amendment that prevents the government from making laws on anything not covered in the U.S. Constitution and defends individual and states rights
64. I believe life starts at conception
65. I want the U.S. Constitution to supersede the powers of any other world organization in order to protect my God Given Freedoms.
66. I believe in a color blind society, where people are hired by the content of their character and not the color of their skin
67. I believe less government allows people to create and achieve
68. I believe military strength is necessary to dissuade other nations from interfering with American peace and prosperity
69. I believe compassion is not based on how many people are on the government dole, but by how many people do not need government assistance
70. I believe a government can guarantee equal opportunity, but not equal outcomes
71. I believe money is not a zero sum game, that as one person makes more of it there will be less available for other people; that the more rich people there are, the more poor there will be
72. I believe strong family values are important to the economic and social success of a nation
73. I believe that family values are best learned from virtues taught by a higher power
74. I believe a government must encourage religiosity where virtues and good family values are learned, but should not force it upon the people
75. I believe government programs discourage people from improving their lot in life
76. I believe well intentioned government programs suck discourage virtues and family values
77. I believe well intentioned government programs decrease the dignity, mercy and self worth of a person
78. I believe human life is sacred and man is in a place protect life and nature
79. I believe we must take care of the environment, yet giving into disinformation and hysteria is bad for the country
80. I believe competition between schools is the best way to better education
81. I believe the United States is the Greatest Nation in the world -- ever. And this is not because Americans are better than other people, but, as Rush Limbaugh notes, "because its government was founded on principles which seek to allow maximum individual achievement."

Related links and sources:

Why am I a conservative
A dozen reasons why I'm a conservative
Rush Limbaugh, The Way Things Ought To Be (page 2)