Celebrating 100 posts!

Well, this is my 100th post as a blogger. I started this whole thing up when I was a junior in college because I saw someone else do it and wanted to try it for myself. I'd been doing the whole "personal journal" thing but I wanted to move on and share my opinions with anyone interested.

On May 1, 2005 (almost two years ago now!) I put up my first posts, explaining my support for the Liberal Democrats in the British parliamentary election. Since then my views on some things have changed a bit; I continue to get more moderate as I grow, as is to be expected, I suppose. I've gone from being a big fan of socialism (in its ideal type) in high school to a rather loose type of social liberalism (in the European sense). That is to say that I still support rather more social programs than we see here in the States, but not in every case.

I still identify generally with the Party of European Socialists, which brings together all the social-democratic parties from the member states, but with a strong secondary liberal ("European liberal", that is to say more laissez-faire, not "American liberal") identification. It all depends on context, as I think the Swedish welfare state is a great thing in its context.

In Canada, I've gone from being an NDP sympathizer to more in the Liberal column, and while I liked Gerard Kennedy as a candidate, I had a strong feeling as the convention approached that Dion was going to take it. For the U.S. I hope that Canada continues its environmental emphasis and that actions from up north put more pressure on our government down here.

On the other hand, my views on some things are the same. I still think the German mixed-member proportional system is the best electoral system in most contexts. I still hope that someday American electoral reform will happen and I'm encouraged by events in Canada. And I'm still not a conservative. A few years back I challenged friends to name one issue on which I have conservative leanings. Nobody has succeeded yet, though I certainly can be classified as "moderate" in some areas.

As a commentator, I can only hope my opinions are becoming more coherent and justified. I've had less personal time yet, paradoxically, have blogged more since graduating from UW, probably because I've gone full bore into the news as my form of recreation. My baseball watching has continued to diminish, to my philosophical regret, but practical inaction; and of course, I have plenty to say now about the practical experiences of teaching, over at my other home.

So, there it is. How much longer will I keep it up? No idea. As long as it's personally fulfilling, I'll be here. And that's what it comes down to: as many or as few people as may read my writing, in the end, it's what I want to write about and share.