Why are you a conservative?

[Statilius the Epicurean]

Blue etc. avatars, I'm curious.

[RINO Tom]

Because, in the duration of years I expect to be alive, a moderately conservative economic and hierarchical system will create the most prosperous nation for my grandchildren to grow up in.  While the American right is a hot mess, it’s the only possible eventual vehicle for this.  Additionally, as things get more and more polarized/radicalized, I fear socialism will become the binary alternative - an outcome I find completely unacceptable.  The other noise (mostly cultural and social issues) is frankly just that … noise.

[Del Tachi]

Because I believe what unites people should be their culture or nationhood, not their social class

[Schiff for Senate]

I feel like this belings in the Religion & Philosophy board, no?

[Ferguson97]

I feel like this belings in the Religion & Philosophy board, no?

Individual Politics board IMO.

[Schiff for Senate]

I feel like this belings in the Religion & Philosophy board, no?

Individual Politics board IMO.

Yeah, one of those two.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Because I believe that the past has as many lessons to teach us as it does flaws to correct, and any vision for society must be firmly grounded in those good aspects of the past (e.g. family cohesion, religious devotion, an emphasis on humility and self-sacrifice) or else it will produce something inferior.

[John Dule]

I'm not a conservative, but I agree with conservatives that before a society can pursue equality, liberty, or any other desirable goals, it must first achieve stability.

[Vosem]

I believe that all human prosperity comes from capitalist economic systems and so the free market must be defended at any cost.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

My thoughts are too complex for posts on this forum.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

It's not often that I find myself able to emptyquote Dule on matters of ideological substance, but:

I'm not a conservative, but I agree with conservatives that before a society can pursue equality, liberty, or any other desirable goals, it must first achieve stability.

[MarkD]

In 1989, I decided (24 years old) to join the Republican Party, because I felt as though it would be much more interesting to participate in politics as a member of a "team" than as a free agent (independent), and I felt ideologically closer to the GOP than the Donkeycrat Party. I felt as though I "fit in" with the Republicans because of my views on these four issues, starting with the most important issue of all, and continuing down in lesser order of importance.
1) Judicial restraint and respecting the "original meaning" of the Constitution. Judges damn well better not strike down democratically-adopted laws unless those laws clearly are unconstitutional, according to what we can deem to be the original meaning of the pertinent part of the U.S. Constitution.
2) National defense. There was still a Cold War going on in 1989, and although that war was thawing out a lot, it still made much more sense to me to take a conservative stance on our national defense needs because, like George Will taught me, we should not entrust our national defense to people who put bumper stickers on their vehicles that say, "You can't hug your kids with nuclear arms."
3) I was fairly conservative about economics.
4) I support(ed) the death penalty.

One day in December 2002, I abruptly decided to stop supporting the GOP -- with votes, campaign assistance of any kind, or financial contributions -- because Bush v. Gore permanently punctured my faith that the GOP was going to respect my #1 issue. And, by 2002, issue #2 was almost completely non-existent anymore. So, as of now, I'm still a right-leaning moderate/independent because I still believe in #s 1, 3, and 4.

[Vice President Christian Man]

On social issues, it's because my views on cultural and religious issues are traditional leaning, even though I am libertarian in the sense that people should live their lives the way they want to as long as nobody gets hurt. I'm not a fiscal conservative, but I am more of a practical thinker who supports a balanced budget and deficit reduction, which are normally stances fiscal conservatives take. At the same time I'd support paying higher taxes if it meant people could have healthcare and welfare.

[Santander]

Because I believe in freedom.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Because I believe in freedom.

Liberal.

You're basically TOM Rino. Pathetic.

[Mr. Reactionary]

Because looking to what worked in the past makes sense.

[jamestroll]

I just do not understand conservative ideology and tend to avoid it. I find conservatives to be unsympathetic to the poor, racial minorities, and immigrants. I find conservatives to be dismissive of environmental concerns. Conservatives tend to be too religious and ignore well proven scientific theories.

The only common ground I would have is my annoyance that the liberals want to legislate every social ill and often legislate feel good policies that end up having neutral to negative effects and my skepticism of bloated government.

In the covid-world I am a more pro business compared to most liberals as well.

[Damocles]

Because the sovereign authority of a state must only be wielded by those with a democratic mandate.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

I am a conservative because I have an instinctive distrust for the tiranny of structurelessness and believe in the importance of social stability and cohesion as John Dule and Nathan already alluded to here. To this I could add an instinctive appreciation for much a tradition or old fashion especially in terms of what Averroës here called fidelity towards material reality.