More government/less government is such a highlevel doctrinal statement as to mean very little by itself. I think of the Freepers as a whole and in many cases I see them wanting more from that same government that they previously wanted less of
I'm afraid you're right. And if those who would call themselves conservative join the ranks of those who want the government to be their Mommy, what hope is there for the free world?
Conservative is a label meant to group a category of like-minded ideas. I suppose we could call ourselves "Bob" or "Those guys," but conservatism has a particular meaning, even if it doesn't exactly hold with its linguistic origins. When I hear people trying to characterize Arnold Schwarzenegger or John McCain, or even George Bush (either one) as conservatives, it bothers me. I find it disingenuous and misleading. To put it into a perspective I'm sure you'll appreciate, it would be like members of one of these new-age groups claiming to be Christian. Sure, they mouth pieces and parts of doctrine that are easy for them to swallow (camel-sized or smaller), but there is a vast chasm between where they stand and Christianity.
Do you find the dichotomy between dependence upon Government vs. self-reliance, in dealing with one's own personal business, also ambivalent? When Conservatives talk about less Government, they of course also mean less people working for the Government; less money spent on Government; etc.. But American Conservatives, in particular, most emphatically, reject the idea of Government solving individual problems, which the individual has traditionally been expected to solve for himself.
Just what about the idea has you confused?
William Flax