When did this happen?

When did I start to become so conservative? Trust me, I wasn't always like this. I am a very reluctant conservative. What is in a label anyway? There really isn't a label to describe me. I never thought about myself being in a particular group.

When I was 19, I was working in a law office as a secretary. One of the lawyers asked me if I was registered to vote. No, I wasn't. He walked me over to the courthouse and told me to register. He said he didn't care who I voted for, but that it was my responsibility to vote. And that was that. The first presidential election I voted in was 1980. I voted for Reagan. I was 21 years old. I had come of age in the Carter years, which were a mess. The Iran mess, gas rationing, interest rates about 17% and up..... those were some really bleak years. I voted against Jimmy Carter. That was how I saw it.

In the 90s, I was a Clinton voter. I liked Bill and Hillary (although I thought she was the smarter of the two). The 90s were good years. And in 2000, I voted for Al Gore. Not because I liked him all that much, but because I wasn't all that impressed with George Bush as governor of my state. I actually thought Al was a bit of an idiot, but whatever... I really really started to hate Al though when he just wouldn't concede and let the country move on.

I have always taught my boys that being a gracious loser is more important than winning. And what happened in 2000 tore the country apart. It was close. It shouldn't have been that close, but whatever. By dragging this thing out, it created deep scars in our society that have not yet healed. I honestly think we would be a better country if Al Gore had just conceded. I bet if he had, George Bush would not have been re-elected in 2004.

For some reason, so many in this country are treating this as a competition, a championship like the Super Bowl, if you will. It has become ugly and vicious and it doesn't have to be that way. And it all started because Al Gore didn't do the right thing for this country. It may not have been fair, but we would be in a better place today if that rift hadn't been torn open.

So this past election, 2004. I didn't vote for a presidential candidate. I voted in all the other categories, and left the presidential ballot blank. What? Nothing wrong with that. I wish they had a box marked "None of the above". I'm sorry, but John Kerry is an idiot. Another politician born with a silver spoon in his mouth who has no clue about what I deal with on a daily basis. Just like our president. There really isn't that much difference between the two. Career politicians. Rich career politicians. I have made up my mind that I will only vote FOR someone, not AGAINST someone. The lesser of two evils just doesn't cut it for me.

I wonder if I will vote for a president in 2008? They better field two good candidates who speak to me. What is it that I expect? I expect them to stop pandering to the extreme fringe lunatics of their parties. I expect them to start speaking to regular Americans, like me, who don't care about the extreme ideas.

What do I believe?

I believe that we should spend less money. Downsize the damn government. Make personal responsibility a mantra. I do not want a nanny state. I want less bureaucracy and more freedom. Rewrite the tax code. You shouldn't need a PhD to figure out how to file your taxes. I does not have to be so complicated.

Gay people want to get married? Let them. It doesn't threaten me. I don't care one way or the other. I just want them to stop screaming about it. I want to stop being hit over the head with the 'gay agenda'. I get it. I don't care. You have a right to your life. I have a right not to have to hear about it. I'm not your enemy. I'm not against you.

Abortion? I personally could never do it. But that's between a woman and her conscience. It's not that important. Drop it already. It's legal. It's going to continue to be legal. I don't care. Alright?

Global warming. I believe it. It's happening. So fix it. Why are we still using fossil fuels anyway? I can carry a telephone in my pocket and use it anywhere - why has the telephone evolved in the past 100 years but we are still using fossil fuels to move our cars? Come on people, you can do better than that.

Islamofascists - the biggest threat to the world as we know it. And everyone panders to them... don't offend them. Don't profile them. Let them be. Hell no. They oppress their women, kill gays, are the single most intolerant people on this earth... and yet they are given some kind of protected status? Fuck that. Time to wake up and stand up to them. They are multiplying like rats.

Immigration. Secure our damn border already! Tell the immigrants marching in the street against OUR government that they ought to be marching in Mexico City against the government that is at the root of their problems.

Conservative/liberal.... I am a woman without a label. And I know that I am a woman without a presidential candidate too.