You've just touched on the very contridiction that is "Conservatism!" Think about it...
The movement claims to be God-fearing Christians which one of the basic tenants of Christianity is "love thy neighbor". Yet one of the guiding priciples behind conservatism is "protecting the American way" which in their storied history doesn't necessary allow for the inclusion of minorities particularly in a leadership role.
The big issue really is how they view "prosperity". Conservatives truly do see themselves as defenders of American business interest. So, if you're a big time mover and shaker economically, they'll do everything in their power to protect your interest. Problem is conservatism says that those at the top of the economic chain are to support the social and economic interests of those at the bottom via sturdy employment, fair wages and contributions to social needs (i.e., donations to charities). And yet, what we have as a result of allowing businesses to regulate themselves is high unemployment and little assistance on a grand national stage to help those in need. And if you really study U.S. history what you'll discover is just about every time this country has had an economic downturn it starts off by corporate greed. Every recession (and the Depression) this country has every experienced can be traced back to moments of greed or the lack of regulatory oversight (or in some cases no regulations at all).
Now, that's not to say that deregulation always came at the hand of conservatives. However, from my study of U.S. history particularly between 1920-present, nearly every time this country has experienced a deep recession or depression the origins can be traced to Republican/conservative leadership. Don't take my word for it, though.
Wikipedia:
List of Recessions/Depressions in U.S.
Independent source:
List of U.S. Presidents (w/party affiliation)
And that's the ironic part. For all the talk of "let the free enterprise system and the markets do what they do" and "low taxes on businesses" or "let me keep more of what I earn," the ultra conservative mindset in over 100 years has yet to grasp the simple concept that while we have checks and balances within our government to halt corruption, there needs to be checks and balances in business as well for the exact same reason. Otherwise, Wall Street runs wild over Main Street.