re: The definition of the word "conservative"

The definition is incorrect. I've explained this this many times. Here is a simple illustration:

Let us say that the status quo in the U.S. looked like this:

Marginal income tax rate of 90%.
Middle class income tax rate of 50%
Govt ownership of all energy companies

A person who supports keeping these 3 things in place would be a 'conservative' because they represent the status quo.

A person advocating slashing of income tax rates, shrinking govt and privatization would be a 'liberal' because it represents change.

The 'change' vs. 'status quo' standard left serious political discourse a long time ago.