Conservatism to me means to conserve this world instead of destroying G-D’s creation and to uphold the principles of justice, meaning fair and speedy trials with due process and the assumption of innocence until proven guilty. It means to call out and confront injustice when we see it without moral selectivism; to work together as a unified country towards a common good. It means to go out and help your fellow man get back onto his feet when he is in need. That and religious values. Regardless, we all live in this universe and destroying it with pollutants, destroying ecosystems, smashing justice as if it means nothing at all, and being morally selectice against bad is intolerable. We already have caused unfathomable damage through deforestation, throwing mercury in the water that poisons the fish, and hunting entire species to extinction en masse. I am just one type of conservative though… there are many other types! I will list them later.
Now tell me, what do you think conservatism is? Let me know down below! Good faith answers only.
Sounds like you’re a Tom McCall conservative.
If you’ve never heard of McCall, you are in for a TREAT! He was a hard drinking, hard smoking, ink stained wretch of a newspaper man who became the governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1974.
Thanks to McCall, all Oregon beaches are public property, technically managed by the highway department.
https://www.opb.org/news/article/history-oregon-tom-mccall-public-beaches/
Oregon had the first bottle bill in the country.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Bottle_Bill
And when the American Legion was proposing a big convention in Portland, and rumors started that Nixon was going to show up (spoiler, he did not), McCall countered the massive planned protest by organizing and hosting a Woodstock style concert event to draw as many young people as possible as far away from the protest site as possible.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_I
McCall is known for two big quotes, well, 2 1/2.
Quote #1 is my favorite from any politician:
“Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky, they are people who say ‘This is my community and it’s my responsibility to make it better.’”
But the one everyone asks about:
“We want you to visit our State of Excitement often. Come again and again. But for heaven’s sake, don’t move here to live. Or if you do have to move in to live, don’t tell any of your neighbors where you are going.”
And when pressed on that quote:
“I think I might be able to anticipate your first question. ‘Did you say what the New York Times said you said?’ … Yes. I did say it. And I continue to say it. And I mean it.”
If you want to know more, and I hope you do, check out the fantastic “Fire at Eden’s Gate: Tom McCall and the Oregon Story” by Brent Walth.
https://www.powells.com/book/fire-at-edens-gate-tom-mccall-the-oregon-story-9780875952475
"There’s been a lot of bad mouthing about ‘visit, but don’t stay’.” McCall rumbled on. “It served its purpose. We were saying ‘Visit, but don’t stay’ because Oregon, queen bee though she is, is not yet ready for the swarm.
“I am simply saying,” McCall continued, his voice lowering to a growl, “that Oregon is demure and lovely, and it ought to play a little hard to get.”
Then, barely pausing, he shot a quick, impatient look at (Vic) Atiyeh. “And I think you’ll all be just as sick as I am if you find it is nothing but a hungry hussy, throwing herself at every stinking smokestack that’s offered.”