How and why have you evolved politically?

[Hatman 🍁]

My parents were Democrat, and somewhat frothy about it--I thought Reagan was a dirty word till I was at least 20 years old.  In fact, most of my extended family are rabid anti-GOP democrats, so I was brainwashed from the start.  Probably not unlike most folks, really.  As a university student and as a grad student I was a fairly committed leftist.  I was even a card-carrying, dues-paying member of the Revolutionary Workers Party for one year.  I often voted for leftist candidates, although in the 90s I supported Clinton both times.  Eventually I got a real job.  First real job I had I was living in California, single, and making good money.  As you might imagine, my net pay was less than two-thirds of my gross.  That first paycheck pretty much did it for me.  After receiving it, I promptly registered as a Republican.  Gave money to the Bush/Cheney campaign even.  I stayed a Republican for a few years but eventually I became as put off with them as I had been with the Democrats.  Also, I eventually got married and had a child and started to think about things like the quality of public schools.  About five years ago I became unaffiliated.  

Overall, I've probably always been centrist/unaffiliated.  Sort of Clintonian without the baggage.  It just took me a while to get through the dampened oscillatory political demagoguery that was the likely result of the initial familial brainwashing.

Sounds like you weren't the brightest bulb before getting that paycheque (aside from being a leftist). It's quite common for people to be left wing when they're younger and then run from their positions the first time they get taxed.  But, why is this so common? An intelligent leftist would understand the tax system, and would already be comfortable with the thought of being taxed, wouldn't they? I know such is the case for me. So what makes people like you switch so quickly? I doubt it can be just the paycheque alone.

[Hatman 🍁]

Then I suppose I'm a fucking moron.  Thank you for pointing that out.  My life is now complete, having posted here for so many years and finally having met someone with your profound wisdom to shed some light my sorry state of existence.

I was criticizing your mindset when you got your first paycheque. (Not criticizing your current mental capacity; we all know you're a brilliant wordsmith, so there's no need to patronize me). The point of my post was that I want to know what really changed your views back then, because you had to have known the tax man was going to come down and take your money. Surely in associating with socialists this was not brought up?

I see it so often that people are liberal in there youth, but become conservative as they grow older. It's exemplified in that famous quote you mentioned. (a quote that truly irks me, in case that wasn't obvious).  I think the change for most people does come from seeing the tax man take their earned cash, but it seems bizarre to me that they wouldn't have thought about that before. After all, thinking about tax theory is at least part of an active political liberal.

I may not be 35 yet, but I do face many of the same challenges a lot of people go through when they make their political shifts. I have a decent job, and a family to raise. And yet, I have not made this political shift. If anything, many of my experiences have shifted me more to the left. Perhaps I am still to young, and still have a "heart". But as a parent, I'm rather grateful for that trait.

[Hatman 🍁]

Then I suppose I'm a fucking moron.  Thank you for pointing that out.  My life is now complete, having posted here for so many years and finally having met someone with your profound wisdom to shed some light my sorry state of existence.

I was criticizing your mindset when you got your first paycheque. (Not criticizing your current mental capacity; we all know you're a brilliant wordsmith, so there's no need to patronize me). The point of my post was that I want to know what really changed your views back then, because you had to have known the tax man was going to come down and take your money. Surely in associating with socialists this was not brought up?

I see it so often that people are liberal in there youth, but become conservative as they grow older. It's exemplified in that famous quote you mentioned. (a quote that truly irks me, in case that wasn't obvious).  I think the change for most people does come from seeing the tax man take their earned cash, but it seems bizarre to me that they wouldn't have thought about that before. After all, thinking about tax theory is at least part of an active political liberal.

I may not be 35 yet, but I do face many of the same challenges a lot of people go through when they make their political shifts. I have a decent job, and a family to raise. And yet, I have not made this political shift. If anything, many of my experiences have shifted me more to the left. Perhaps I am still to young, and still have a "heart". But as a parent, I'm rather grateful for that trait.

Good post.  I hate that quote on getting conservative as you age. I have moved to the left as I got older. Some of it may be the Republican party is crazy. But I turn 30 in 2 months and I'm the most liberal I have ever been although I'm not really that liberal. I'm not a huge fan of paying taxes and I don't like it when the money is actually misspent or wasted but that money goes to help a lot of people who are less fortunate than me. The real world has made me liberal I have seen way too many people work too hard and then hit a hard time and need help, or people just barely making it who need some food stamp help.

I think life experiences play a huge part in carving one's political positions around that "crucial age" of 35 (if that totally arbitrary number is some how as magical as Angus claims). If you get a good job, and have everything going for you (as is angus' case) you will get more conservative, because you will think that you have this perfect life because you have worked hard for it. While that may be the case for some, it usually isn't. But most people that have been rewarded in life feel entitled to low taxes, because they have earned their perfect lives.

However, people who have struggled to get by, despite having worked really hard will be spiteful, and rest those who have it all, and those people are more likely to become more left wing around this pivotal age.  I was already left wing to begin with, but my struggles have firmed up my beliefs.

There was a case study where the test subjects were made to play monopoly, and one player was given an unfair advantage. That player was told he had an unfair advantage, but still played the game as if he earned this advantage, boasting about he great a monopoly player he was, etc. I think this is often mirrored too much in real life.