daveo0331's Journal: Switching parties

I've been a registered Republican since I first registered to vote. Today, I sent in my new voter registration. Once it's processed, I will officially be a Democrat.

I don't like big government... and I used to think the Republicans were the party of small government. Bush has sure proved me wrong on that. To me, fighting optional wars, imposing a right-wing social agenda, and spending money like a drunken sailor COUGHmedicarebillCOUGH doesn't qualify as reducing the size of government. Sure, the Democrats want to raise the marginal tax rates a couple points, but they'll also move us more toward European social policy, and besides, once the economy starts picking up, we need to start paying down our $7 trillion debt anyway.

This is not that I don't agree with some of what the Republicans have to say. Free trade is generally a good thing, and so is business deregulation as long as criminals don't get involved. Does anyone really miss the Civil Aeronautics Board? But wait, which president was it that signed NAFTA?

No, I'm not proud to say I'm from the party of Fritz Hollings, but I think the Demopublicans represent me a little better than the Republicrats. Wait, did I get that right?

I feel your pain

[Morosoph]

In Britain, we've got a little more choice, and I've had difficulty deciding who to vote for at the next election. I expect that the Lib Dems [libdems.org.uk] will get my vote with both the Tony and the Tory party pursuing an ever-more illiberal social agenda. The big problem is that the old Liberal party has been progressively softened by sentiment as opposed to real goodwill, and thus falls into more and more traps of illiberal thinking.

The headlining article on the website Scrap Tuition Fees [libdems.org.uk] reveals a desire for equal