Hello all.

First, I'd like to say that I respect everyones opinion....we live in a great country where we can speak our minds.

I'm new here, and am a bit surprised at the political posts I read here. I could very well be wrong, but these are my impressions;

1) The good people of The Villages are people who have worked hard, saved or invested well, and are now enjoying the fruits of hard work and wise choices. You enjoy life and have paid your dues, so to speak, and have chosen to live in a community that is a bit insulated from some of the ills of the outside world.

Please, that is not a slam.....I too have invested my future in a nice 55+ gated community right down the road from you good people......we are the same. We did not just buy a house, we bought a lifestyle. Critics would call us selfish, (like reading Leisureville), but we see it as a lifestyle choice that we earned.

2) That being said, we care about taxes, retirement pensions, healthcare, preservation of wealth, etc.

I have always thought these things reflected more conservative values.

That is why I am surprised at many of the posts here. They seem less conservative then I would have thought.

Much of what I read seems to indicate that the democratic platform may raise taxes, capital gains, reinstate the inheritance tax, etc,etc. These things I would think would be opposed by those of us who fit the above demographic......but strangely that does not seem to be the case.

Most of the people who are posting here seem to have strong democratic leanings. Some almost a rabid passion for the democratic ticket. There is nothing wrong with that in a free country such as ours......I'm NOT being critical, I'm just stating that I am surprised and would have expected different.

Please do not flame me....I am trying to be respectful. I am not trying to sway anyone's opinions......I'm just saying that I'm surprised. I would have thought the typical Villages resident would be more conservative, that is all.

Life is full of surprises.....this to me is one of them. Just an observation.....I must have been wrong in my thinking, which is fine, every day is a learning experience.
If I had to describe my personal views, I'd call myself conservative.

Anyway, I enjoy this forum. Even though I do not live in TV, I appreciate communicating with those who also have invested their future in the awesome 55+ gated community Central Florida lifestyle. Thank you for allowing me to do so.

Respectfully, Frank D.

Frank,

Let me assure you there are many with rabid political passions for each party. Unfortunately, too many passions are based on emotions and meaningless incidentals that have nothing to do with who will be the best President or V.P. for the country. But, that applies to people outside The Villages as well as inside.

The REAL question is why aren't you a resident of TV?

Well Mike,
I posted my "story" in the new member's sub-forum, so I'll give you the concise answer.
I'm a professional firefighter here in western NY, and I have 1039 more days to go before I too can retire. I'm 50.

We visited friends in The Plantation about 20 months ago, and fell in love with the "55+ gated Central Florida" lifestyle. We bought the house across the street from our friends home. I had never heard of The Villages at the time. We will be back down there in October for the month.

We long to be down there, and this forum helps us cope with the wait.

Frank D.

We anxiously await your arrival

Since you are still working, I take it that you aren't loaded as they say. The spin on tax increases is just that ..........spin. After the last eight years, the spin is to be expected. Income taxes would only begin to increase on income in the $112,000 to $161,000 range. In that range there is not much difference. If you make less, your taxes will be lower under Obama. Under McCain if you make above this level, you get the most benefit. Dividend taxes would only hit those making above $250,000. Estate taxes will only hit estates above Three and a half million. Most of us will have lower taxes under Obama.

Hey Frank,

We too are WNY'rs who connect to our dream place through TOTV since we can only be in TV for a couple months a year. Don't think the couple dozen delightful, dedicated democrats dallying on TOTV define TV demographics. They're outnumbered by the huge majority of conservative republicans who don't have time for/don't care about/or have never heard of TOTV. We enjoy reading all the informative, funny, sarcastic stuff from this outspoken minority and think of them as just like us.

So then there's good news and bad news. The good news is that you are only 50 and preparing for a better life real soon. The bad news is that you might miss it by just a few miles.

Hope to meet you sometime. Love to get you a guest pass!

Originally Posted by ijusluvit

So then there's good news and bad news. The good news is that you are only 50 and preparing for a better life real soon. The bad news is that you might miss it by just a few miles.

Hope to meet you sometime. Love to get you a guest pass!

Thanks! We look forward to meeting some of you good people at the TOTV gathering at the restaurant the TOTV meet at.....(Checkers, Cheaters, Cheetos, something like that...i'll have to look it up first... : :redface: )

While The Plantation is not The Villages, it is a wonderful place with many amenities.....with no snow even!! ;D

Nice to know I won't be the ONLY conservative there when we visit..... ;D

Frank D.

Faithfulfrank, maybe The Villages missed out by not having you and your wife as residents but enjoy your new home in The Plantation. We have friends, husband and wife, who have lived in The Plantation for 18 years and love living there for the winter season.

Thank you Peachie,
You're very kind.
(Your forum name brings a smile to my face....I helped the wife can 28 pints of peaches today.....)
Tomorrow will be peach jam. Really helps when having to live though the snow, ice and blizzards we will have in a few months.
We currently rent out our home to snowbirds until we can live there full time. We'll be down there in October, then the house is rented for 6 months, then we will get to be down there again for the month of May.

This forum really helps us feel connected down there.

Frank D.