"What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried?" - Lincoln
Lincoln of course was referring to what worked under how our founders constructed government and to stick to their ideals.
I am a Conservative when it comes to what government should be in being limited but I am very open to change in private matters.
And I think you will find this reflected in today's life too.
Who is against and for more regulation and curtailing of such new inventions and entities as:
- machine automation
- cell phones
- SUVs
- Walmart
- biogenetic engineering (like in farm produce)
- free trade
It's not Conservatives. Liberals have an inherent Ludditical reaction to what is new under the threat of change to themselves.
Take a Conservative from the suburbs (where most live) and a Liberal in an inner city (where most Liberals live) and tell me who is dumber? Who is more ignorant and who resists change more?
This study is centered around personal (individual) acceptance in brainwaves, rather than what occurs when practiced in reality and variables are thrown in, including the biggest of which is how they come together to adopt the groups beliefs. You see that on this board how Liberals stick together, they are the least open to original thought.
Liberals certainly preach a big tent and tolerance and you get that they "feel" that, but in reality if you deviate from anything they believe (witness yourself Watermark with how they go after you for free trade beliefs and such) or Lieberman and the war, even a little, they will castigate you out and they will likely not listen to any piece of new evidence that contradicts their way of thinking (ie: pieces of scientific evidence that appear even slightly cynical of human caused global warming).