I was not born a conservative…..but family had a lot to do with it. As a boy in Syracuse, N.Y., I first became aware of political parties during the Kennedy/Nixon campaign. My parents were ardent fans of JFK, and I can remember hearing Mom decry the sneakiness of “Tricky Dick.” (My parents strict Catholicism may have played a factor in their political choice.) So, Democrats we were, at least for a few years.

But as the years went by, the deteriorating condition of New York State caused a shift in my parents’ political views. From Albany to Utica to Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo, one could almost hear a rumbling sound, as the cities along the thruway crumbled to the ground. Years of Democratic rule meant crushing taxes, and companies such as Carrier, GE, Kodak, and many others downsized their New York presence for more favorable business climates elsewhere. My folks finally decided to do the same thing and moved to Virginia, leaving the state where they were born and raised, went to college, met each other and were married. I can’t remember the last time my parents said anything positive about a Democrat.

The experience of my in-laws is also telling. Virginia natives, they spent several years in southern Jersey, before retiring to a proper, gated neighborhood in Williamsburg, Virginia. But soon my in-laws noticed a disturbing trend: people from New York and New England were also retiring to the same neighborhood. Unfortunately, they brought their political, and thereby their voting inclinations with them, and soon tax-first Democrats were getting votes in normally conservative Virginia. Northern Democrats, who had helped ruin their native states but were now seeking a low-cost retirement life, were now exercising the same judgment that had made their home states such high-priced propositions. Welcome mats were rolled up all throughout Virginia!

My experience just punctuates the lessons I learned from both sides of my family. Living in one of the highest taxed regions of New England, I am now witness to record unemployment and deteriorating schools, all while the Democrats who control everything think of new taxes to raise. The cigarette tax will soon be the highest in the nation. And guard your wallets, out-of-staters, you are now paying higher tolls than we privileged natives. That should really help attract business!

No, I was not born a conservative. At first I was a blank slate. Then my family filled in the blanks.