I consider myself a Classical LIberal, which in many cases is considered conservative. I am for freedom of the individual, I believe that certain rights are God-given rights, i.e. natural rights. I belive in limited government federal government, a stronger state and local government. I do believe in the Constitution as written.
I believe that the natural tendancy of man/government is to gravitate toward totalitarianism. I belive that those tendancies need to be tempered. I find fault with both the “Left”, as well as the “Right.” It is a constant Yin-Yang sort of thing that needs to be kept in balance to a peaceful center. Currently the pendulum needs to swing toward the right to combat the excesses of the left, but there will be a time that that pendulum will have to swing back a bit to find the center.
I advocate for the new party name to be called Common Sense, after Mr. Paine.
I think of a straight line.
On the far left end is despotism, totalitarianism.
At the far right is freaking anarchy, an everything goes, every man for himself cluster foxtrot.
For me, conservatism when properly done, lies right in the middle with a reliance on personal responsibility and the least amount of government needed to carry out its Constitutional duties.