I'm always curious on how people's views progress, and one aspect of that is if certain positions have changed after reconsideration. I'm not looking for too much debate of a specific issue here--more like discussion on why your view changed.

The current one for me is some aspects of illegal immigration. In the past, I was in support of border security because I felt it was unfair for those who go through the process legally to be cut in line by those who do not. I also wanted it to be done in an orderly manner so as to prevent those who want to do harm to the US from entering.

But then, I realized that a) no method of border security is going to be ultimately successful, b) the dangerous ones are, via a), going to get through anyway, and c), the real kicker, that illegal immigrants are actually a contributor to public resources than a drain as is commonly said. As such, it led me to conclude that government immigrations policy should be extremely minimal, if even existent.

Haven't you done this thread before? Has someone?

Yeah, I was getting that feeling as well, but I couldn't find anything earlier. If you find it, feel free to merge.

my opinions on global warming changed after taking an environmental geology course. when you look at Earth's temperature variance over geologic time spans of hundreds of thousands or millions of years, it has always naturally risen and fallen, even more drastically than now, over time. the last 150 years of industrialization doesn't stand out. it's also convincing to believe that the current warming trend is still an after effect of coming out of the last ice age 10000 years ago.

Man-Dogs go to college?

i put myself through by catching squirrels and fetching newspapers. sniffed a lot of crotch too

Creating a Jeffersonian Democracy in Iraq.....or forcing our form of government down any another country's throat, for that matter.

That and my personal belief that Matt Cameron was going to lead to mediocre albums from now on. He redeemed himself on "Pearl Jam."

spikes nose is cold and wet

Whether Australia should become a republic.

When I was a kid, I was a Monarchist; not that it counts as I was too young to understand the issue. This was essentially because I figured 'if it's not broken, don't fix it'. As soon as I began to develop my opinions and thoughts more seriously, I became a Republican, which suits my world view better. Then I went to the UK, and went through a period of reading about and becoming interested in everything British, and I toyed with Monarchism again because the history interested me so much, and I value the ties we have with the Commonwealth.
Of course, I know deep down that I'm truly a Republican, and should the vote ever come up again, that's always the way I'll go. It's easier to understand why that referendum failed now, though.

We're basically a republic anyway.

yeah. it's really just the principle of the thing...

I'm actually thankful now that it got voted down. Imagine Howard as President!

My views have really stayed pretty consistant. I have been wrong about a lot of things, but I have not changed my opinion so much on topics. I voted for Bush first term thinking he was the right man for the job, that was a mistake. But as far as my politics, they really do not shift all that much. I just often fuck up with those I expect or hope to constructively make my ideas work for society.

In 5 years I went from an active Green Party member to a Libertarian

I used to be a hard core republican. I have changed a lot.

I voted for Nader in 00 because i thought a 3rd party was important.
I voted for Bush in 04 because i wanted to be able to piss off pearl jam fans.

does that count as a change?

No, your were consistently insane.

and i aint never going to change.

Raised in a highly Republican household, but found out later that I never really was a Repulican, and never really understood what I was. For awhile I thought I was somewhere in the "moderate" range and favored things like social programs. Over the last couple years I've found that I was always a libertarian all along, after finding out what libertarians are all about.

One other thing is I used to be fairly interested in the idea of democracy and that majority rule was more or less a good thing, but now I'm not so sure about that.