Conservative vs. Libertarian

Today I heard the local radio talk show host saying that opposing gay marriage is not conservative.  He believes that conservatives do not want the government to tell people how to live their lives.  Most of the time that is true.  However, he is actually confusing libertarian beliefs with conservative beliefs.  This is a point that has often frustrated me recently especially with the rise of the Tea Party.

The Tea Party largely focuses on just one of the three legs of conservatism, fiscal conservatism, which is the one area where conservatives and libertarians actually agree.  Therefore, both groups have aligned with the Tea Party.  However, conservatives and libertarians are very different when it comes to defense and social issues, which are the other two legs of conservatism.  In fact, many libertarians align more with liberals in these areas than conservatives.  Libertarians basically believe in freedom (or liberty) at any cost, which leads to virtually no government.  Conservatives on the other hand believe that some government is necessary but it must be limited.  They understand that freedom without virtue is anarchy.

It is also foolish to think that people who support gay marriage are conservative or believe in limited government.  Despite their rhetoric that claims it is about freedom, they really want to impose their beliefs on people who do not support gay marriage.  Libertarians kid themselves when they say you can believe whatever you want in your church as long as you don't ask the government to force others to agree with you.  That's exactly what the gay marriage advocates are doing.  They want everyone who does not agree with them to be labeled a bigot and their rights limited.  If you don't believe this, you should look up what the mayor is doing in Houston.

Therefore, for a conservative, gay marriage is not as simple as providing the most freedom to individuals.  No matter where you land on the issue of gay marriage you will be infringing on somebody's rights.  Instead, you have to ask what is best for the society and imposes the least amount of change.  Marriage has existed as an institution between men and women for thousands of years and has never been challenged until the last 20-30 years.  There has never been any historical evidence that marriage between only one man and one woman has ever been a problem for societies.  In fact a lot of social research has proven the exact opposite.  However, the growth of homosexual and sexual promiscuity in general has always been a sign of a society in decline.

Therefore, I reject the notion that opposing gay marriage is not conservative.  True conservatives hold onto all three legs of conservatism because the society cannot survive without any of those legs.  Libertarians need to stop forcing their beliefs on us by pretending they are conservatives.