Hello and Thanks

Recently, I've started to post. So, I thought I'd say hello.

I'm part of what I call the ass-end of the baby boom. My end of the boom has repeatedly jumped from one job to another, one town to another and/or one line of work to another -- all while chasing after the relative security our parents had. Some people blame the government. Some blame Wall Street. I blame Garth Brooks.

I was raised in a blue collar Republican family. My mom was a Republican Precinct Committeewoman and later an aid to a State Congresswoman. My first memories of politics are of helping her make signs to fight the Equal Rights Amendment and applying political slogans cut out of orange contact paper to the sides of a candidate's RV. Years later, we spent weeks trying to get signatures to get Perot on the ballot (a day spent by the port-a-potties at an Old English fair is a particularly pungent memory).

So, how did I become a Democrat, after being raised moderate Republican? Some personal experiences, a few spare IQ points, and agnosticism had something to do with it. Also, the Republicans kept moving farther and farther to the right. Then there was the Iraq War debacle. There just came a tipping point -- something akin to a mental gag reflex -- and here I am.

I've enjoyed reading your posts very much over the last few months.

Thanks!