Conservtives follow practices that have been essential for survival since the beginning of time. Self reliance, cogent thinking , an ethical imperative to name a few. This does not mean that conservatives will ignore people who truly have needs. But as people who have dealt with intervention understand being an enabler hurts more than it helps.

I believe it was William F Buckley who once explain the difference between a conservative and a liberal in this manner. If a man were drowning a conservative would throw a lifesaver half way out and ask the man to swim to safety. Whereas a liberal would throw a lifesaver out way over the man's head and ask him to swim out further in order to reach safety. Overkill... well kills... A welfare state kills motiviation and hence inititative and eventually will power