Can someone name a Conservative value?

[PurgedVoter]

17. Good to know I am not alone in struggling to find a conservative value.

We heard about conservative values a lot when I was little. Reading between the lines it was a combination of two broad concepts.

One set of virtues really helped the rich. Having folk consider paying debts, working hard, saving money, and not suing people when you got injured were virtues that rewarded those who would manage a banking disaster every so often and rob everyone. Believing in big business, Hating OSHA, environmental controls and social security were a bonus virtue. This was lumped into financial virtue, but the truth is that only those with money could really claim this virtue.

The other set of conservative virtues was veiled hatred for those that didn't fit into the "conservative" shoe. In school, bullies knew they could pick on the odd ones, the smart ones, and those who showed empathy. If you stood up against a bully, the principle was going to reach for the paddle he proudly mounted on the wall behind his desk. Careful racism, sexism and oppression of anyone who didn't fit their mold was lumped in to a brand that said, "We are good family people." It wasn't really a virtue then and it is quite well exposed today.

But as I though about this, I wondered if maybe I had missed something. What was a conservative then and what is conservative now is a bit different. So while I did intend this question as a commentary, I am also looking to see if someone has an actual answer. I doubt there is any virtue in conservative thought, even old school conservative thought. I read a short piece written years ago, titled, "Common Sense," and then I read it again and substituted "Old Money" and "Fabulously Wealthy" for Royal and Noble, and for me any chance of being conservative died right there. Odd since I think in his own way, Thomas Payne was a conservative.

Respect for what works and not tearing down a bridge before you have another good way across a river seems wise to me, but I have not noticed in my lifetime that conservatives ever showed that sort of conservationism. Nixon was a nightmare, but he did do a solid on environmental conservation, so for a while I though that might be a partial conservative value, but time has shown me wrong on that over and over again.