What defines Conservative?

Dictionary.com defines Conservative as 1.Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change. 2. Traditional or restrained in style: a conservative dark suit. 3. Moderate; cautious: a conservative estimate.

Sounds reasonable enough. Though change can bring creativity and innovation to the forefront in many areas needing our energies, not all change is for the best so to 'proceed with caution' and 'moderation' can often save problems subsequently. But then using the label Conservative to refer to people or referring to others as Liberal often is nothing but a ploy to mass generalize and does not address the real issues at hand. Labels are used to incite voters against an opponent or to try to draw people to ones self more often than anything else. No doubt, Conservative is also used as a negative label by some who may profess to be liberal and shun other labels as symbols of stereotyping.

Many voters are just plain sick of these labels and ideological mumbo-jumbo as the issues are getting lost in the rhetoric. They want to be known as conservatives who want honesty, want to have us live within our means and balance our budgets, find it unacceptable and want immediate accountability when learning of a congressman's indiscretion with entrusted teenagers, have a staunch stance against invasion of our privacy, and who take issue with our state allowing conditions that have deteriorated Ohio to being second highest in college tuition rates in the entire country. These conservative values, along with others, are not ones they are willing to give up no matter how politicians are using these labels.

So, what about you? What do you think of the use of these labels and where do your concerns fall that you don't want the candidates to gloss over?