You know, I have grown up with moderate political views that have changed only a modicum in their centrality over time, but for a very long period, now, I have been accused of being "fringe" by certain people. But, as Reagan noted (hypocritically, I note) when he left the Democratic Party following John F. Kennedy's election, "I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The party left me." I never left the mainstream, it's just that the so-called center shifted so far to the right that any "moderate" is now on the fringe. I do wish there were more reasonable "conservatives" to discuss the issues than there currently are here. Unfortunately, there is a general lack of reasonableness on that side of the political spectrum. <sigh>

Last edited by NW Ponderer; 09/11/07 06:18 AM.
A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.

Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich