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Anyone Else Experience a Shift in their Political Views?

woodswise

woodswise

TID Board Of Directors
Apr 29, 2012
4,334
1,340
25 years ago, right out of college, I found myself on the left, politically. I thought conservatives made some sense, but were too mean spirited, and that kinder gentler politics of the left made more sense.

Over 10 to 15 years, working as a small town attorney, I moved to the middle, understanding that a lot of what the businesspeople and local conservatives were saying made sense. But I still had my feet firmly rooted in the idea that government could do a lot of good, if only it were well run.

Now, after having run a small business on the side, and having experienced the heavy hand of self serving bureaucrats and sometimes ideologues, and after having had a series of punks and drug addicts work for me, I find myself nearly 100% in agreement with the core conservative thinking, but not able to agree on how best to achieve the policies. I find myself a libertarian on personal freedoms. Though my politics have changed, I cannot hate the liberals. Many of my friends are liberals and I love them like family. None of them believe the garbage the right attributes to libtards. They are down to earth, hard working, successful people, who believe in good government that can lead to good societal outcomes.

Have any others out there ended up with their politics changed over time? If so, where did you start out, and where have you ended up? What has informed your political evolution?

For me, I am strongly influenced by those I am close with. My coach and best friend is very conservative, makes excellent arguments, and has swayed my thinking, probably even more than my life experiences. So has my brother, who is similarly conservative.
 
Lizard King

Lizard King

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Staff Member
Sep 9, 2010
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Pretty much agreed with Republicans since I was born. Growing up in NYC and watching everyone milk the system was disgusting to me and even worse as the more I made the more they took instead of getting off their asses and doing anything to better themselves. Social Equity is bullshit, go get a job, apply yourself and you can succeed.
 
R

Restart

VIP Member
Jan 3, 2019
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I've always been a conservative since I knew right from wrong. I grew up in a poor area of NY and watched people get money while making theirs on the side. I knew that came from our taxes and that they were lying, cheating and stealing. Yet they had Cadillacs, nice clothes and bikes. I grew up with these people and unfortunately you couldn't trust any of them.
 
Lizard King

Lizard King

Administrator
Staff Member
Sep 9, 2010
14,535
7,974
I've always been a conservative since I knew right from wrong. I grew up in a poor area of NY and watched people get money while making theirs on the side. I knew that came from our taxes and that they were lying, cheating and stealing. Yet they had Cadillacs, nice clothes and bikes. I grew up with these people and unfortunately you couldn't trust any of them.
Watching people pull up in an expensive car and pull out their Medicaid card and food stamps was my favorite....
 
woodswise

woodswise

TID Board Of Directors
Apr 29, 2012
4,334
1,340
I've always been a conservative since I knew right from wrong. I grew up in a poor area of NY and watched people get money while making theirs on the side. I knew that came from our taxes and that they were lying, cheating and stealing. Yet they had Cadillacs, nice clothes and bikes. I grew up with these people and unfortunately you couldn't trust any of them.
I have observed many who live off public money, but who should be able to work for their livings. At the same time, I have watched as government policies and programs have put a stranglehold on small family businesses, and have shifted the balance of power into the hands of deadbeat tenants, employees and criminals who lie and cheat and the system treats them as victims, when they are causing so many problems.

My thinking is to hell with thinking the truth will prevail.

We need to put the balance of power back into the hands of hard working business people and property owners. So long as they are not out there abusing their employees, tenants, customers, etc. then they should be able to conduct their businesses as they need, and see fit, to make money with as little intrusion by government as possible.
 
woodswise

woodswise

TID Board Of Directors
Apr 29, 2012
4,334
1,340
Watching people pull up in an expensive car and pull out their Medicaid card and food stamps was my favorite....
There is a weekly food give away at a local Moose Club that I pass on my way to work. I bet 90% of the cars waiting in line for free food are newer than mine and cost at least as much.

I don't have a problem giving food to the hungry. But helping someone who can afford a better car than I can is just crazy!
 
R

Restart

VIP Member
Jan 3, 2019
310
307
I totally agree that we need to take care of our people but examples like this and open borders don't make it easy to sign off on as if I had a choice. Open borders, digital currency being discussed and the next lockdown being put in place makes it real hard to care for others. What about us? Must we clothe, feed and impower our invaders? It's a new level of disgusting. We're losing our country to say the least.
 
R

Restart

VIP Member
Jan 3, 2019
310
307
I feel we need an electoral college in every state to balance out the corrupt cities that decide for everyone else. Cities vs country and the city always wins. It's been this way since Moses got up and put his sandals on in the morning. Moses' sandals!
 
jipped genes

jipped genes

VIP Member
Oct 22, 2022
1,337
1,601
Yeah, I became almost as disgusted with the republicans as i am the dems. May republicans call themselves conservative but spend damn near as bad of the dems. Give me libertarian leaders. Smaller less obtrusive gov, Make personal responsibility a thing again. I don't give a damn what gay guys like A1 do in the privacy of their own home with a 55 gallon barrel of lube, a gas powered post setter and 60 lbs. of mudcrabs. Just do not push that crap on me.
 
Tomas Payne

Tomas Payne

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Jul 29, 2014
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Good morning, I was raised conservative democrat, which meant politics was just second, what we believed as tradition and to be right was always practiced as such. When I was in college (early 90s) I noticed what professors called Democrat sounded more socialist, so I thought maybe if I wanted to be technical, I was more libertarian, being from AZ. Being in college, I hated labels, so I registered IND or NOP and pretty much since I was 18, but have registered Republican and Democrat to play their stupid game twice.
 
Tomas Payne

Tomas Payne

VIP Member
Jul 29, 2014
1,479
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There is a weekly food give away at a local Moose Club that I pass on my way to work. I bet 90% of the cars waiting in line for free food are newer than mine and cost at least as much.

I don't have a problem giving food to the hungry. But helping someone who can afford a better car than I can is just crazy!
they call that "jimmy-rich". Drives a nice lambo but can't afford the $20 of gas to drive it.
 
T

thehulk

VIP Member
Nov 16, 2022
182
275
Yeah…twenty years ago I paid attention to politics, and now I don’t give a shit. LOL

I was big into talk radio, conservative authors, and all that stuff. Spent a lot of time in 2A advocacy, protesting, writing letters, etc. But I realized that shit just isn’t good for my blood pressure and now I just tend to focus on positive thing and what I can control.

The way I look at it, doesn’t matter. What’s going to happen politically is going to happen. I’ll show up and vote, but sitting around getting butt hurt over what’s largely become theatrical bullshit ain’t for me.
 
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