That being said, I do know that as one grows older, one presumably has more experience to draw on, and....if one evaluates and applies those experiences with care, one 'may' come to a more mixed view of some issues instead of just rubber-stamping cookie-cutter ideas (there's a mixed metaphor for you!).

I find I have 'some' opinions which are similar to various conservative opinions...but seldom for the same reasons!...so I try to be careful about how I state them.

[one example: I do not flatly reject the death penalty for various crimes - though my reasons usually differ from those who clamor for lots of executions.]

I am resisting the urge to type out a long, tedious screed on the subject, as I need to edit it 27 times to be sure I say what I mean.

But one clear..(to me).. difference between Ls & Cs is how my life would be different if conservatives (read:Republicans) had their way, compared to how THEIR life would be different under liberals (read: Democrats).

Democrats 'tend' to want you to think their way....Conservatives 'tend' to want you to behave their way, no matter HOW you think....the implications bother me a lot.