Just FYI...in case anyone cares...

I have been a registered Democrat for 24 years, admittedly because that is what most of my family is.
As I have gotten older, and can more clearly define what my economic, social and overall political views are - I have found it increasingly difficult to continue the facade that "I am a Democrat".
Since the mid-80's I have watched the Democrat party becoming more and more liberal, and those with CLEAR liberal beliefs taking high positions of power in the party. I believe this has been a detriment to both the party and the country. As the Democrats in power became more and more liberal, the farther they drifted from what the majority of Americans believe in.

Believing there is no place in the Democrat party for those believing in a "moderate-conservative" approach to economics, no space for people who value the family structure - who believe that people should be punished for their crimes, and that public safety supersedes criminal rehabilitation, which usually only ends up in early release...etc. etc.....I will officially remove my name from the Democrat party.

I will at least temporarily switch to Independent until further review.

__________________

The most serious threat to the United States is not someone hiding in a cave in Afghanistan or Pakistan, but our own fiscal irresponsibility 2008 - David Walker, Controller General of the United States

Congrats. Seeing as how both parties are trying to fleece the American people for as much as possible I'm surprised that most Americans aren't Independant.

__________________
Is our children learning? -George W. Bush

"I think—tide turning—see, as I remember—I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of—it's easy to see a tide turn—did I say those words?"—Washington, D.C., June 14, 2006

"[T]he illiteracy level of our children are appalling."—Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 2004

Well, expect a jury duty notice lol. That's the fastest way to get one--party registry changes. IMO, that is a mistake though for other reasons. I swing vote regularly. Being registered with a party is not a compulsion to vote straight ticket. Everyone can vote for whomever. I even know some who regularly flip parties to get says in primaries of some sort and they don't mind the jury duty notices. Being an independent gives a person no extra say in a primary, so that is why I always recommend that people join one of the two main parties. Vote however, but get an extra say in the whole process

You also live in Indiana, a red state. I live in a red county in PA. I registered Dem because in my area the GOP runs the show and being a registered GOP person means nothing but anointing whoever is uncontested in my area for the GOP in state and local elections, which in reality make 90 percent of my daily interests. Being a registered Dem shakes the system by keeping an otherwise monopolised local system on its feet. Whether GOP or Dem, any noncompetitive area gets to be nepotistic, lazy and self-serving which is not beneficial. Competition makes the system earn their right to represent. If I were in Philly, a Dem controlled machine, I'd register GOP to counterbalance that. And on local and state matters, uncontested machines become the same thing. In rural areas, Dems are more often conservative and in urban/suburban ones they are more often liberal. However, the machines, if not worried about losing power, become the same artery clogged rubbish. Lastly, parties don't move without voices. Eventually, they always move. Thus, if I were you, I'd keep your registration.

__________________
James Hoban. Irish Architect. Member of the Royal Dublin Society. Hoban designed and built the White House and based it upon the top exterior and interior two floors of Leinster House, then known as Kildare House, which is now the current Irish Parliament building. He was also a supervisory architect of the US Capitol Building.

There's a saying that goes something like this: When you're young, if you're not a liberal, you have no heart. When you're old, if you are a liberal, you have no brains.

I'm a registered Independent, myself...

__________________
Obama's New "57 State Patriotic Pin":

I have been an Independent for the last 15 of my 56 years. I want candidates to "earn" my vote and not take it for granted because I'm a "party" member!

__________________


http://www.politicalwrinkles.com/pol...n-contest.html

I know the saying, but in my case it isn't true. As I've gotten older I've gotten more informed because I've remained interested in learning. In doing so, some of my views have gone more liberal, others more conservative, and in a great many somewhere in the middle. I've simply gotten more clinical. I continue to learn even here. Reading many of your views I see the same thing. You tend to be more liberal on social issues, sceptical on what you see as naïve liberal views, cynical of certain locked in stone social conservative views, etc.

__________________
James Hoban. Irish Architect. Member of the Royal Dublin Society. Hoban designed and built the White House and based it upon the top exterior and interior two floors of Leinster House, then known as Kildare House, which is now the current Irish Parliament building. He was also a supervisory architect of the US Capitol Building.

You know i was really hoping when i read the title of this thread that it was you who made it Iam...maybe somewhere my post in the annual taxes thread helped you to come to this decision? Doubtful but if it did i'm glad...i

What is it that stops you from switching to the GOP? I know another guy that sort of reminds me of you in that he dislikes the republican party and is a die hard democrat yet agrees with many more of the GOP's positions and wishes the democrats where more conservative. I always thought that he seems to view the parties by what they where when he was younger. Personally I'm registered independent but I'm very liberal on social issues yet I do tend go against democrats on trade issues and some of their dumber ideas on spending. I guess if I was to feel the need to settle on a party I would be a democrat but a more fiscally centrist one.

__________________
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Listen, you both should get together and start your own independant centrist old school blue dog Democratic reform party or something...i mean really! Are there any tough on terror/security& fiscally displined democrats left in the post Zel Miller era?

I agree with the fiscal discipline but I have no interest in the current foreign policy. Personally I would want to let the U.N. go into Iraq as a peace keeping mission which is all we are really doing anyway for the most part now and maybe focus a little more on Afghanistan while cutting back a little overall. I'm tired of putting up the money, resources, and lives to be the worlds policeman.

__________________
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

But where are you gonna get that? The Dems don't even want peacekeepers in Darfur leave alone Iraq, and the GOP certainly don't...you're looking for things that just aren't there. Anyway if we don't give the U.N. as much money as we do we wouldn't have the influence to buy all the rights for the stuff we do around the world like bases, airspace, wars etc etc, it all comes back in a nice round circle.

I believe whether you're republican, democrat or an independent living in this country, we all want the same things in the end.

Where our parties have difference's, is in the manner on how to achieve getting to those things.

I think the democrats have put too much emphasis on the minority left wing of their party. Likewise republicans can listen to much to the right wing of their party.

They all need to remember that the majority of Americans are middle of the road, & tend to lean a little to the right.

When I first registered to vote, I registered as a Democrat. It didn't take me more than a few years to get frustrated and re-register as an independent. The 2-party system REALLY frustrates me, so I can understand your sentiments. Neither party does a good job of representing the American people.

__________________
So many cowards.

You know who you are.

But if you're not a registered member of either party doesn't that hinder you from voting in primaries? Or are IN and CO both open primary like MI and NH?

It does. I cannot vote in primaries.

__________________
So many cowards.

You know who you are.