What turns a liberal into a conservative?

It seems it is a bit like alcoholism—they have to figure it out for themselves.  I did.  But here’s what others say. (Facebook conversation)

I wasn't a well educated liberal. I changed my views because of the WSJ articles in the 80;s explaining the Laffer curve. Marti

I went to education college when I was a (semi-)adult (in my 20s and 30s) and thought that some of the stuff I was learning (whole language, ugh) was not quite right. That led to some reading at the public library (this was before the internet!) and slowly started coming around. Carol

Having kids. Joseph

I have been . . . incorporating critical thinking skills into my lessons. Question authority. Follow the money. If someone makes you an offer too good to be true, it probably is. If you know someone is lying to you about one thing, you can't trust him when he's talking about anything else. . .  some times these kids are actually listening to you. Stuart

My wife is in college presently. She is taking a history course. Reagan is this weeks' topic...the stuff they teach about Reagan in college is pretty sad. I probably was fed the same propaganda back when I was in college, but I don't remember it...experiencing the college propaganda as an older person with life experiences it is easy to detect, but for the young folks it's just another class with stuff to be memorized...pretty soon what they memorize becomes historical fact even when it is blatant lies.  Jim

I was working on a wheat ranch . . . So the farmer said, "Get in the truck." I did, and he drove us into town, and to the "Employment Office." It was so full there were people standing in the aisles, every seat being taken. He loudly announced, "I need 5 people to drive wheat trucks... it is easy work and pays well... first ones to the door get the job." Not one person moved.  Ed

My sister was sounding strangely conservative as she ranted about irresponsible parents of her second graders. She was saying that any aid they get should be tied to actually parenting their children! I told her that was a conservative point of view. Just giving people money doesn't change a thing. Debbie

Discernment informed by life experience. Lynn

“Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains.”― Winston Churchill.  Hartley

[Came home from Viet Nam and enrolled in college.  Sociology teacher required volunteering.]  I went to one of the places . . . the "Blue Mountain Action Council." I was given the task of going door to door to sign people up for welfare. After an afternoon of having folks tell me that they were insulted by the offer, I went back to the office to talk with the guy in charge. He explained that the real purpose of getting more people enrolled was so that he could get a promotion and more money. He offered that if I helped him do so, he could get me hired into the position he now held. I became a conservative that day. Ed

After the stupidfada and 9/11, I couldn't understand the liberal reaction. That made me start reading conservative sources. I did some work in management consulting, which got me to understanding economics. Ariel

My sister converted me when I was a teenager, by explaining that giving minority-owned businesses preferential treatment we guarantee that they'll never believe themselves as good as we are. Essentially putting them back on a plantation- Then she went on to explain that when the gov't favors one group over another, that group proliferates and yet does not prosper. Opened my eyes to the existence of wrongheaded/good heartedness. That was the day. Kenneth