Conservatives are interested in pursuing policies that will better reinforce and encourage the best of our people's common culture, habits, and beliefs. Conservatism is based on the belief that the social order rests upon a moral base and it is that which ties us together as a people. Contrary to much of the conventional wisdom in Washington, no amount of public policy tinkering with structures created for the sole purpose of governing people's lives, can ever substitute for true values. We must develop a fair appreciation for the real strengths and limitations of government on behalf of the children. Government, obviously, cannot fill a child's emotional, spiritual, or moral needs.
Government is neither a mother nor a father.
Great as it may be, government has never raised a child and it never will. This does not absolve government of its responsibilities. Even so, we need to remember that families, churches, schools, and individuals are the primary agents in the development of a people's moral disposition. Government is an auxiliary. The state does not, cannot, and should not always pick up where families and individuals leave off.