The fundamental rule of conservatism is this: >There must be an in-group that the law protects but does not bind, alongside an out-group that the law binds but

The fundamental rule of conservatism is this: >There must be an in-group that the law protects but does not bind, alongside an out-group that the law binds but does not protect. That is why conservatives are so prickly about being regulated: to be bound by the rules is "proof" that they are no longer the in-group. Your very assertion that the law can be applied fairly (to the point group membership is irrelevant) is a denial of the fundamental thesis of conservatism. I agree that we should aspire to fairness and equality-before-the-rules, but there are too many people who do deeply believe that fundamental theorem to just deny and ignore.