To continue my thoughts...this method will work better than the threat of punishment (IMHO). Parents seem to understand that their children need to learn to be responsible for their actions, yet the same idea seems lost on them where government's involved.
Agreed. But the question remains, is conservativism purely a matter of what the intended result is, and having no relationship to the means used? IMHO this is the crux of much of the acrimony. The pure liberals are easily identified - they are pursuing a socially liberal agenda through politically liberal means.
The libertarians seem to be pursuing a liberal social agenda through politically conservative means. The "neocons" seem to be socially conservative, but willing to use politically liberal means, and the "paleocons" and to be of a conservative/conservative bent. All three lay claim to the label of "conservative".