I used to be as "blue" as it comes but now I am older...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
"A man who has not been a socialist before 25 has no heart. If he remains one after 25 he has no head."

—attributed to King Oscar II of Sweden

So I'm the poster who wrote the above.
Just to clarify, since I'm a foreigner from a country with established and popular far-right and far-left parties, the USA does not have a real left-wing party. All you people saying you've veered left to go Democrat are really just centrist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What you're describing is pretty common. Unfortunately, it often comes from an "I got mine" mentality that prioritizes the aging population to the detriment of the whole (think, for Social Security spending but against early education spending). I don't know you or your beliefs, but I'd urge anybody in your situation to make sure changing views are not purely self-interested or short-sighted.

- grew up in a town without a high school because the graying population bulldozed it rather than pay property taxes to fund it

I don't see it as "I got mine" mentality. It's more of an "I worked for mine, why don't you work for yours" mentality.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you're more ideological when you're younger. My DH and I both used to be Republicans and saw the world in absolute terms - no work = no welfare, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, etc. Not overly concerned about social issues like gay rights or abortion. Now that we're in our 50s and we realize just how life can bite anyone in the a$$ and look around at the financial mess our country is in and the hate spewing from the right, we now call ourselves socialists. But part of it is that we consider ourselves the Christian Left. Not only has our party been cooped by big business and hatred, so, does it seem, has much of our religion.

I'm the opposite. When I was of child bearing age, I really related to the social issues of the day (the late 70s/early 80s). Now that I have made a few million, fiscal policy is my biggest concern. No surprise there.

[Anonymous]

You find the opposite in the DC area, many people assume you are a democrat here.

[Anonymous]

I'm voting for my first Republican. The Democrats just want to tax and spend to an unsustainable level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you're more ideological when you're younger. My DH and I both used to be Republicans and saw the world in absolute terms - no work = no welfare, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, etc. Not overly concerned about social issues like gay rights or abortion. Now that we're in our 50s and we realize just how life can bite anyone in the a$$ and look around at the financial mess our country is in and the hate spewing from the right, we now call ourselves socialists. But part of it is that we consider ourselves the Christian Left. Not only has our party been cooped by big business and hatred, so, does it seem, has much of our religion.

[phone]
Another Christian appalled at what are saying and doing in the name of my faith

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What you're describing is pretty common. Unfortunately, it often comes from an "I got mine" mentality that prioritizes the aging population to the detriment of the whole (think, for Social Security spending but against early education spending). I don't know you or your beliefs, but I'd urge anybody in your situation to make sure changing views are not purely self-interested or short-sighted.

- grew up in a town without a high school because the graying population bulldozed it rather than pay property taxes to fund it

I don't see it as "I got mine" mentality. It's more of an "I worked for mine, why don't you work for yours" mentality.

Overestimating your own efforts and underestimating the efforts of those around you is an almost unavoidable cognitive bias, since you inevitably have more information about your experience. Did you build present day society from single-called organisms? No. Then you have a lot of other people to be grateful to and a lot of investment in society that made it possible for you to work for yours. It's disgusting how easy it is for some people to forget this.

[Anonymous]

Are you my dad? After all the kids left for college my mom started watching Fox news all the time and I swear it is messing with my dad's head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What you're describing is pretty common. Unfortunately, it often comes from an "I got mine" mentality that prioritizes the aging population to the detriment of the whole (think, for Social Security spending but against early education spending). I don't know you or your beliefs, but I'd urge anybody in your situation to make sure changing views are not purely self-interested or short-sighted.

- grew up in a town without a high school because the graying population bulldozed it rather than pay property taxes to fund it

I don't see it as "I got mine" mentality. It's more of an "I worked for mine, why don't you work for yours" mentality.

Overestimating your own efforts and underestimating the efforts of those around you is an almost unavoidable cognitive bias, since you inevitably have more information about your experience. Did you build present day society from single-called organisms? No. Then you have a lot of other people to be grateful to and a lot of investment in society that made it possible for you to work for yours. It's disgusting how easy it is for some people to forget this.

You must be a Burnie supporter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What you're describing is pretty common. Unfortunately, it often comes from an "I got mine" mentality that prioritizes the aging population to the detriment of the whole (think, for Social Security spending but against early education spending). I don't know you or your beliefs, but I'd urge anybody in your situation to make sure changing views are not purely self-interested or short-sighted.

- grew up in a town without a high school because the graying population bulldozed it rather than pay property taxes to fund it

I think it more about life experience bring more wisdom to your decisions and thought processes.

What "wisdom" is there in demolishing a school?

High school students benefit from attending a larger high school with more classes, resources, clubs and opportunities. A small town with few families with school aged children is not going to be able to offer the same type of educational opportunities as a high school that is fed by several small towns.

I'm the person without the HS, and this is what I mean by short sighted. Now those older folks want to sell their homes (or their estate does) but young families don't want to buy into the district because their kids will be bussed to a large crowded school. This is a town of 25K people btw, not a village.

Not trying to derail the thread, but this is just such a great micro example of trying to justify something that benefits one group immediately but screws everybody in the end.

This is exactly what's happening in my hometown. Older boomers, many of whom are staying put in their tacky, overbuilt McMansions, are convinced the flattening property values and the lingering of homes on the market are a symptom of some sort of left-wing substainability initiative conspiracy (yes I've heard that phrase actually come out of someone's mouth). Meanwhile, the taxes are absurdly high but the schools have been stripped of resources and consolidated so that the one elementary school (used to be three) is not near the desireable residential areas. Even the recreation facility have been stripped of resources and many of the baseball and soccer field and parks where I used to play as a kid have been closed. Families now have to join really expensive private leagues for any activities for younger kids. It's so obvious to young people why it's not a desireable place anymore. I'm a little sad for it and I'd be sad for my parents and what will happen if they ever sell their home, but they didn't want to pay for anything they didn't personally use so that's what happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What you're describing is pretty common. Unfortunately, it often comes from an "I got mine" mentality that prioritizes the aging population to the detriment of the whole (think, for Social Security spending but against early education spending). I don't know you or your beliefs, but I'd urge anybody in your situation to make sure changing views are not purely self-interested or short-sighted.

- grew up in a town without a high school because the graying population bulldozed it rather than pay property taxes to fund it

I don't see it as "I got mine" mentality. It's more of an "I worked for mine, why don't you work for yours" mentality.

Overestimating your own efforts and underestimating the efforts of those around you is an almost unavoidable cognitive bias, since you inevitably have more information about your experience. Did you build present day society from single-called organisms? No. Then you have a lot of other people to be grateful to and a lot of investment in society that made it possible for you to work for yours. It's disgusting how easy it is for some people to forget this.

You must be a Burnie supporter.

No, but I'm curious why you think so? Because I don't believe Boomers built the world how it is today from scratch? If such a plain, factual statement seems like a radical notion to you, I assume you are a Trump supporter or some other variety of extremist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What you're describing is pretty common. Unfortunately, it often comes from an "I got mine" mentality that prioritizes the aging population to the detriment of the whole (think, for Social Security spending but against early education spending). I don't know you or your beliefs, but I'd urge anybody in your situation to make sure changing views are not purely self-interested or short-sighted.

- grew up in a town without a high school because the graying population bulldozed it rather than pay property taxes to fund it

I think it more about life experience bring more wisdom to your decisions and thought processes.

What "wisdom" is there in demolishing a school?

High school students benefit from attending a larger high school with more classes, resources, clubs and opportunities. A small town with few families with school aged children is not going to be able to offer the same type of educational opportunities as a high school that is fed by several small towns.

I'm the person without the HS, and this is what I mean by short sighted. Now those older folks want to sell their homes (or their estate does) but young families don't want to buy into the district because their kids will be bussed to a large crowded school. This is a town of 25K people btw, not a village.

Not trying to derail the thread, but this is just such a great micro example of trying to justify something that benefits one group immediately but screws everybody in the end.

This is exactly what's happening in my hometown. Older boomers, many of whom are staying put in their tacky, overbuilt McMansions, are convinced the flattening property values and the lingering of homes on the market are a symptom of some sort of left-wing substainability initiative conspiracy (yes I've heard that phrase actually come out of someone's mouth). Meanwhile, the taxes are absurdly high but the schools have been stripped of resources and consolidated so that the one elementary school (used to be three) is not near the desireable residential areas. Even the recreation facility have been stripped of resources and many of the baseball and soccer field and parks where I used to play as a kid have been closed. Families now have to join really expensive private leagues for any activities for younger kids. It's so obvious to young people why it's not a desireable place anymore. I'm a little sad for it and I'd be sad for my parents and what will happen if they ever sell their home, but they didn't want to pay for anything they didn't personally use so that's what happens.

Yes yes yes. They tore down the junior high in my hometown, which was this gorgeous early 1900's building. The type they don't build anymore, with marble floors, dark shiny wood trim everywhere, wrought iron handrails. I haven't been back there since; people think I'm silly but it really makes me ill.

[Anonymous]

I think as I've gotten older I've gotten a lot more respect for the free market as the best means of figuring out solutions to problems, but also a lot more appreciation for the need to have good rules of the road for the market, and the fact that markets are still imperfect. The net result doesn't leave me noticeably more liberal or conservative.

Similar. I started moderately "liberal," still that way today. I came more and more to appreciate the problems/discrimination/lack of economic opportunity faced by many, while at the same time growing skeptical of many of the solutions offered for these problems or at least feeling that reform is far more complicated than say, a socialist, is willing to admit. So it is not that I "like" the market more, perhaps less, but that I not yet seen any good alternatives.

[Anonymous]

I started out as a left-wing liberal, but time, history and experience has shown me that liberal policies while they look good in theory translate into unintended negative consequences. I am now a moderate conservative.

[Anonymous]

I am getting more liberal as I get older. I was raised by people who, while lovely, we're not smart enough to know how lucky they were (inherited money, business, and home, and no real tests in life in terms of health, money, or other necessities). I'm embarrassed by how judgmental I was when I was younger and identified as conservative. As I've gotten older, I've realized we're all vulnerable and I have more understanding for people in less fortunate circumstances, whether by their own faults or not. Liberal solutions might not be perfect (or even good) but I refuse to go back to being mean and angry all the time.