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Conservatives should embrace the values of limited government. This should include limiting the intrusion of government into personal behavior, which is to say the libertarian value. If progress is to be made in the moral sphere, it will be made through persuasion and development of morals-friendly social institutions, such as churches or groups of concerned citizens. But the first impulse of these institutions must not be to legislate morality, because then we are right back where we started.

That is probably why we have to make the distiction between CONSERVATIVES and SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES. Social conservatives believe in many of the things "CONSERVATIVES" do, the difference is we care about the CULTURE too. And in some cases, as mine, I care even more about social values over everything else, even fiscal values and other variations.

I became a Republican (I am an independent now), because I was under the assumption that REPUBLICANS (most of them, 70% at least) cared about the culture. Now that I know this is not true, I am no longer a Republican. The problem is many people like me, still believe the Republican party stands for our values and so they still call themselves Republicans. But I think it's time to smell the coffee and debunk this myth? and start considering other options.

Social conservatives believe in many of the things "CONSERVATIVES" do, the difference is we care about the CULTURE too. And in some cases, as mine, I care even more about social values over everything else, even fiscal values and other variations.

I still care about the culture. I just don't think government is the mechanism to achieve results in matters of morality and culture. Just as I care about poverty, and want to help people, but feel that government run poverty programs do more harm than good to the poor.

Morality is something that comes from within. If we make laws that reflect our moral imperatives, beyond the obvious "you can't hurt or kill other people" laws, we just throw obstacles in people's way, without doing anything to change their minds. And, as is often true of big-daddy government, people count on the laws to protect them, and don't protect themselves.

I remember going to the Grand Canyon about thirty years ago. You could walk right up to the edge and look over, but people generally stood back and were careful. I went to the same spot last year, and there was a rail at the edge. People were walking right up the rail and leaning over. One guy stepped over and leaned out to get a picture straight down. People counted on the rail to protect them, and stopped using their own common sense.

I became a Republican (I am an independent now), because I was under the assumption that REPUBLICANS (most of them, 70% at least) cared about the culture.
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I posted this link on another thread. It’s regarding the left in the culture war, and what they’ve done and why. The long march:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/02/cultural_marxism.html