No. I have lived in 6 American states (CA, FL, AZ, VT, NC, and PA, in order. I have since needed to move back to CA). I have always been registered as Independent, but for major political seats, I have not been able to vote Republican at all. But I also do not hate that party (or any party) as a whole. I just don't feel it's right for me to commit.
Over the years, I feel like I've gotten somewhat more liberal as far as racial politics. The idea of affirmative action and race quotas (which, I think, are illegal anyway. Anybody?) has kind of made me cringe at times. "Let the cream rise to the top", I would say (and in a perfect America, I'd go back to fiercely standing by that). But these days, I at least put on blinders, because I had read something recently (can't remember what) that convinced me that swinging the pendulum the other way---not for equality, which may never happen---but for fairness, is actually a good thing. We need a forward-thinking society, focussed on the present and the future. Maybe not so much the past.
I also have gotten much more onboard with environmentalism. Due to certain health issues that have cropped up with me, I believe global warming is a thing. Pollution traps heat, or however it goes. At first, I had to be dragged kicking and screaming (maybe because my parents are environmentalism hobbyists, and it kind of wears on me at times). But now I get it. Not because I'm a nature lover (I'm better in the city), but because life is just easier if we can manage our resources.
I still like NASCAR, though.
Over the years, I feel like I've gotten somewhat more liberal as far as racial politics. The idea of affirmative action and race quotas (which, I think, are illegal anyway. Anybody?) has kind of made me cringe at times. "Let the cream rise to the top", I would say (and in a perfect America, I'd go back to fiercely standing by that). But these days, I at least put on blinders, because I had read something recently (can't remember what) that convinced me that swinging the pendulum the other way---not for equality, which may never happen---but for fairness, is actually a good thing. We need a forward-thinking society, focussed on the present and the future. Maybe not so much the past.
I also have gotten much more onboard with environmentalism. Due to certain health issues that have cropped up with me, I believe global warming is a thing. Pollution traps heat, or however it goes. At first, I had to be dragged kicking and screaming (maybe because my parents are environmentalism hobbyists, and it kind of wears on me at times). But now I get it. Not because I'm a nature lover (I'm better in the city), but because life is just easier if we can manage our resources.
I still like NASCAR, though.
"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan
