One of the few memories I have of my grandfather was his love for politics. Despite being only seven or eight years old when my grandfather passed away, I recall attending many political functions with my pepaw and loving every minute of it. My grandfather was always active in local elections and followed the national scene quite closely as well. It was during this time, I discovered I had inherited his passion for the political process.

I can still recall the joy I felt when I offically became old enough to vote. I remember rushing to the polls and casting my ballot with a great sense of American pride. Even though I was only eighteen years of age at the time, I felt I had a strong grasp on the issues. I campaigned for certain politicans and quickly earned the respect of people who were sometimes three and four times my age. I even had the desire to run for office myself.

Sadly, my enthusiasm in recent years has largely disappeared. While I still follow politics closely, I find myself more and more disillusioned with both major parties. I grew up in a strictly democratic family, and it was considered treason to ever vote for a Republican candiate. One of the great family scandals occurred in the mid 90's when I voted an almost straight Republican ticket. It was at this time that I began to notice a change in my own political views.

Around 1996, I was referred to as the black sheep of the family because I found myself defending Republicans much more than I had in the past. I still considered myself more of a Democrat than a Republican, but I began to realize voting a straight ticket is the wrong way to go. It should be about the individual and not the party. In the last ten years, I still tend to favor Democrats more than Republicans, but many of my ballots are more or less split down the middle. When people ask me if I am a Democrat or Republican, I now answer "Neither." I would classify myself as an independent with largely moderate beliefs.

With the presidental election coming up in 2008, I find myself in a sad state of affairs. Normally, I am able to lock on a candiate I really like and support them until the end. For the first time in my voting life, I can truly say I am undecided on whom I support.

I am a firm believer that all Americans should exercise their right to vote and if you don't vote then you should shut your mouth. Therefore, I have decided to list 13 issues I feel passionate about that the parties differ on. It is my hope that

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Choosing a political party?
We want to hear your view. Write now!