Believe it or not when I was very young my parents were Democrats. My Dad actually explained to me ignorantly one night that the Democrats protect the working man and Republicans only care about the rich. I personally never understood that assertion- it simply didn't seem true to me- ever! I have been addicted to politics since I was very young- I watched the news all the time and the things I valued comported to the things Ronald Reagan espoused. I just simply loved the guy- even when I was quite young. Lower taxes made sense to me: if I worked for it I should be able to keep it. Peace through strength made sense to me as appeasement did very little to ward off the bullies at school. I found his actions during the Cold War logical- I surely didn't trust the communists. I remember developing such an admiration for the man that I was truly shocked when I found out that some people didn't share in my admiration. As I got older I obviously attained a greater grasp of political philosophy and the historical context from which Reagan was working and it only deepened my appreciation for him. Am I conservative because of Ronald Reagan- no. I was a conservative from the day my mom started to instill me with a value structure. I am however a Republican because of Ronald Reagan. He made me believe that my values were so common place, so axiomatic that I found nothing wrong with voicing my beliefs from day one- and I've never stopped. Hey everyone I found the perfect solution for defending any assinine position that floats your boat- it's called the ostrich defense. See: any post by CanadaSucks to see how it works. The first victim of the despotic mind is the truth.