The paraphrase "If you are not a liberal when you are 20, you have no heart. If you are not a conservative when you are 40, you have no brain" has been attributed to Winston Churchill, Francois Guisot, Georges Clemenceau, and probably others. Regardless of who first uttered such a aphorism, its truth is not dimmed by it's cloudy origin.
When I have honest conversation with a left thinker, although that in and of itself is a contradition in terms, I find that I am left with the impression that I am conversing with someone around the intellectual age of 14. A child, especially in that magic time of life between true self-awareness and adulthood, has a view of the world in which all paths seem to be possible. War can be ended, the poor can be fed, the have and the have-nots can be equalized, and perfection can be obtained.
With maturity comes the realization that one can improve the world, but one cannot perfect the world. Wishes of childhood are replaced by plans of adulthood. Imagination is tempered by reality. Hopefully, one retains enough of the child within to avoid being deserving of the title of curmudgeon, but not so much that one spends one's entire paycheck on candy.
But the liberal; he retains the paycheck/candy mentality. His improvement in mental acuity is evidenced by the fact that he now buys the candy with MY money.
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