I agree at heart with a lot of conservative principles, like individual initiative, self-reliance and free markets.

but I see the free market as a mechanism, not an ideology. and I do not think that individuals and families with limited incomes and resources can be expected to negotiate on equal terms with multi-billion-dollar international corporations for terms of employment, health care or financial services.

and I believe that a free market needs a strong infrastructure to function to the benefit of all of society. and not just a physical infrastructure of roads and communication, but also a legal and regulatory infrastructure.

and we cannot leave that infrastructure in the hands of the producers alone if we want the market to function to everyone’s benefit.

those are the points where modern “conservatism” lost me ages ago, not counting the social and religious issues they champion.