Well yeah, that’s the American Dream right? That if you’re smart and work hard, you’ll be rich?

Yes and no. Conservatism is supposed to be (ideally, in theory) a ratchet that keeps the wheel from freely spinning in either direction. Conservatives are to preserve the status quo, which is the position currently taken by Democrats and not Republicans. We don’t have a counterbalance to the Repubs, which is why the wheel is slowly clicking to the right.