Dolo's post prompted me to post this:

Are you the lone liberal in your family? Or how is the division, if any, of your family?

My parents really weren't into politics, but that also meant they were repukes, either. They pretty much had the opinion that they had to work regardless of who was president and who controlled the government.

Living in Boston also provided some amount of liberalism, because people were still very proud of Kennedy then, too. Irish, Catholic and Democratic: geez, if it wasn't for the pay level, we could have been considered part of the family!

We weren't "exactly" Irish--more of a Celtic blend, with Canadians as main heritage. But that didn't deter my parents from going to the Irish American club, or the bars on Friday night to do some dancing to fiddle music. But the spirit of "immigrant" status was alive and well, and my mother would NEVER have listened to the likes of Phyllis Schafly because she had to work regardless of whether she wanted to or not!

We were taught to think for ourselves, and the repuke image of life never emerged. We worked hard, with little pay, with little chance of getting higher in the world. But we did enjoy life insofar as going to the beach, to my grandfather's farm every summer, to the Blue Hills for campouts and BBQs, and on long weekend drives. Dad worked 6 days a week until lung cancer forced him to leave work, and mom was pretty much the same way, working nurse's aide work most of her life.

We were among the poorest (still kinda are) but with the liberal heart. I guess seeing the world from a lower viewpoint makes me want to see our evil overlords get their just desserts at some point along the way and see those who struggle get a break for a change!