[wludavid]

I'm still pretty young in comparison to the average age here on PPOT (25) but I've actually gotten more liberal as I've gotten older. I was seduced by libertarianism in HS and early college. (Actually, I really liked anarchism, but libertarian seemed more do-able.) A lot of my structure of thought came from reading Heinlein (v. libertarian) and from listening to my dad (who read Heinlein when he was younger).

But as I got older, I realized the "the invisible hand" of the market could not guarantee everyone a healthy and productive life, and that we need backup mechanisms in place.

Also, I've watched so many examples of markets going to hell (Enron, CA power crisis, Worldcom) that I can't believe that just because the market allows something, that we as a society should heed it blindly. We need to examine those things more closely. Case in point on the micro-econ level: the payday loan stores that spring up near military bases. Sure, there's a demand when there are nearby people with their first realy jobs and a guaranteed income. Should we allow them to operate - some might say 'prey' - on our young soldiers? A libertarian says yes, I say no.

The rest of my liberalism has stemmed from an increasing backlash of and feeling of betrayal by the current party in power. Some here would label me a knee-jerk Bush hater. But I assure you my Bush-hating has been learned, not instinctual; I supported him and 2001, 2002, and 2003.