British Expatriate Network

I would strongly disagree that I was ever conservative - a republican supporter yes but never a conservative. I've certainly never been a "values" conservative - hell I'm pro abortion. For me it was all about fiscal issues. In Britain I was/am a big New Labour fan. The idea of voting Conservative in Britain is laughable to me - never have and never would have since I left. However I was one of those "9/11 changed me" people you read about. In those early days what Bill Kristol, Fred Kaplan, and Reuel Marc Gerecht were saying made all the sense in the world to me. But like alot of people I feel I've been conned. I've always been fiscally conservative (mildly) and very socially liberal. So when I moved to the US the politics that appelaed to me for this governmental system seemed to be small government republicanism. However over the last 5 years it's become very clear that a)this republican party is demented, b)I was wrong beyond all comprehension regards the war on terror, c)George Bush is an ass, and d)America doesn't work very well and the way to fix it is not republican conservatism. I did alot of political soul searching prior to the last election and I was suprised by what I found out about myself. Which is why I said at the time that Bush and the Republican party should not be reelected. I still don't like government pissing away money on everything and nothing. But this is a country that lives and dies by the free market - and mostly it dies.

So I'd say where I ended up is where I started - the New Labour model - the third way. I like Tony Blair alot, Add to that my utter shock at the rise in influence of values conservatism. I've been revolted by that.

Lastly, and the most suprising to me, is to find i don't think government has no business in my life. don't get me wrong - the big government conservatism of this republican party is ridiculous to me. I do think american taxation is bizarre - people are all too willing to pay taxes for extra street lighting in their town, or to paint a water tower, but not for what most of the western world sees as normal. I don't want to come across like John Kenneth Galbraith, but how can a society that is as wealthy as this one spend money on the things it does but not on others. I still don't think national health care is the ideal, but when I see that government works with private enterprise to screw people in the way it does, AND then the same people argue that government shouldn't get involved, I want to hit someone. When I see a cack-hole like the east side of Buffalo where social security is non-existant yet Buffalo is a fairly wealthy city, I want to hit someone. Now when I hear an argument about how social security in it's various forms is too big, but that taxes are being spent on a bridge to nowhere in Alaska, I want to hit someone. I would love to hear a conservative explain to me why it is not governments responsibility to pay for any portion of people's healthcare or education, but government should be paying for a bridge.

Let me be as clear as I can be - I was wrong. And now I'm much happier with how I feel.

Rant over. :grin:

Republican and Conservative are two different things. The current administration is neither of these.

I could go for an Eisenhower type of Republican. These days I tend to go more towards Libertarian with a minimal amount of government interference.