Family Values Conservative

Recently on a blog-site a person asked in a comment, what is a "family values conservative?" The question was sufficiently interesting to me that I felt it justified an article. Actually, the three-word label given up above is somewhat unusual. Usually its label is "family values," or "traditional family values." Its an odd phrase in any event where it is employed.
For example, you would expect that a party touting "family values" would place tremendous effort upon the protecting the relationship between parent and child. Yet, when the Republicans decided to go after Clinton with respect to Monica Lewinsky -- there were some truly bizarre things going on. This is not intended as a reference to the various "Christian right" members of Congress throwing stones in their glass houses. No this is a reference to what the "independent" prosecutor did when Monica Lewinsky went home to have a heart to heart talk with her mother. He subpoenaed her mother to try and find out what Monica said.
"Family values," however, has become a code-phrase that basically means: strict censorship of the entertainment industry, pro-life, pro-abstinence only sex education and birth control, intelligent design, negative view on public education funding, anti-gay, stereotyping of gender roles, economic individualism and abolishment of the barrier between religion and government. In other words, "Conservative Family Values" is a code word for Christian right wing politics. Its about the stick and not the carrot.
It is, to say the least, riddled with inconsistencies. First of all, censorship has to do with keeping other people from being entertained with lewd or racy material -- true family values start at home (in other words turn off the d--- TV!). Second, there are a lot of people who are opposed to abortion except in very special exceptions -- this isn't about whether you should or should not have an abortion, its not even about whether wealthy people should have an abortion -- this is about whether welfare mothers can have an abortion. Three, sorry folks abstinence only education does not work -- not that I don't agree that abstinence is the right thing, its just that teenagers in the backseat of a car or wherever have this unfortunate tendency to forget about abstinence. Four, intelligent design -- I have no clue why people believe that Darwinian Evolution is destructive to any family. Five Destroying public education is not going to make people more moral, its going to make people less educated and being less educated does not make you a better parent. Six, it would seem to me that "family values" would support committed relationships -- parents who stay together longer, what we should be doing is focusing on promiscuity, not gender orientation. Seventh, gender stereotyping -- if you didn't want both parents working outside the home, you should have supported economic conditions where they could afford a good standard of living with only one person working. Eighth, if you haven't figured it out yet -- unrestrained free market capitalism does not strengthen families. Ninth, do away with the establishment clause and then you try to live the American myth where you had a nice home, four kids, two cars and the wife kissed her husband goodbye as he left for work and she returned to do the laundry, housecleaning, cooking, and a trip to beauty parlor.For me -- this whole "family values" discussion is your basic bunk. It elicits smug comments from Bob Dole, when he isn't doing Viagra commercials, to make stupid statements like it doesn't take a village to raise a child, it only takes two parents! Oh clever Bob. No Bob, it does take a community to raise a child and we need to help communities to unite to get the job done. We don't do that by blaring that competition is the only way to get things done. We don't do that by alienating people and discriminating against people. We do that by making sure everyone receives enough pay to live with dignity and off the welfare system. We do that by investing in education. Its the carrot that works, not the stick