It's been said before: We tend to live our lives as conservatives, regardless of our political affiliations. I've heard R. Limbaugh say it several times. We don't take our paycheck, decide we're living on "more than we need" and give half of it away each payday. We don't confront our neighbors, telling them they must cut back on their consumption or we're going to do something really bad to them. You don't believe that you, personally, have far too much freedom, then demand that someone take your freedom away from you. Chances are you don't feel you have the right to steal from someone on the basis that he has more than you.
Not exactly. But we do often advocate such coercion against our fellow countrymen on a regular basis, through government.
If we define an American "conservative" as one who embraces the principles upon which this country was founded (Liberty, property rights, minimum to non interference by government)(and I do) then it is a fact that most people live as conservatives in their personal lives. Its just that some of us are screaming hypocrites, like this Texas politician who fought against self-defense rights and ended up shooting a thief (the thief was, after all, merely practicing his own form of "Economic Justice" as the term is used by the Left).
Thanks to M. Malkin and K. du Toit.