I turned 18 in January 2001. I watched the 2000 Election with intense interest, read newspapers and books about the various candidates. While I couldn’t vote in the 2000 Election, I tried to be informed about the issues, so when the time came to register to vote, I thought it would have a good idea on which political party I wanted to join.

I really was less then thrilled President Clinton. I didn’t like the loss of our civil liberties post Columbine, nor did I like Internet censorship or the gun-control legislation he was pushing. I also thought he was too close to environmentalists and many of the left-wing special interests.

In the same vein, I kind of liked President George Bush. I thought he was a refreshing change, after growing up in the 1990s under President Clinton. He was willing to bring in some new ideas, that where sadly lacking in the debate. He certainly was a new direction for the country.

But then I started to read about both parties. I read a lot about the New Deal and the Great Society, and what it meant to our country. I learned about the importance of having a strong safety net for the poor, and investing in our colleges, our parks, and our public places.

Now, I’ve never been a fan of the style of big-city liberalism that many Democrats like to embrace. I’m not out there screaming for more flamboyant gays or demanding free abortions for all women. I think people should dress and act conservatively, and that there has been too much of a loosening of people’s moral compasses in recent years, including the promotion of out-of-wedlock sex.

Yet, I also believe there is a important role in government protecting the individual’s rights and getting a fair deal from business. People should know they are getting safe products, that they are working in a safe working environment, and are a minimum getting a living wage from their job. Every employee should be represented by organized labor to allow them fairly negotiate with their employer. We need unions.

We need government to rein in business to control pollution, and to ensure the products they sell are as environmentally benign as possible. Democrats have long been the champions of clean water and air, especially in recent years. But we also need a government that balances those needs with human desires and freedom — the government shouldn’t prevent you from owning that sports car — they should just ensure that the car is crash-worthy and has good pollution controls.

I don’t believe in creating vast new wilderness areas in places that have been previously logged or mined and contain existing roads. But I do think we do need to keep many wild spaces and acquire new public lands, and we need to control pollution from large power plants. But I’m not particularly worried about pollution from campfires and bonfires in rural places.

If anything, my ideology is one calling for balance. Not excessive government or a libertarian paradise. But instead a government that works for the people, but mostly stays out of their day-to-day business.