When & why did I start following conservatism?

For many years I've been following conservative thought. It probably started with Rush Limbaugh when he had his TV program. It probably started with his radio show and then with the internet it started with such sights as Townhall. Beyond that I'm not entirely certain how it started.

What I have figured out over the years it's interesting when they tackle issues involving Blacks. This morning I saw over at Instapundit news that a Black-owned bookstore was shutting down in San Francisco - or more accurately the landlord locked them out thus they can't open. Then somehow that issue expands into how liberalism has treated Blacks and how San Francisco has gotten so expensive that certain segments of that city's population is forced to move.

Well name the issue you see it discussed by conservatives whatever the medium it's most interesting. Sometimes I wonder if this issue is truly discussed honestly by the other side of the ideological aisle. If you do sometimes I may not like what comes out of their mouths and the solution may be what you'd expect them to propose.

Another issue that has come up reading that post over at Instapundit is a column from last year by Thomas Sowell about raising the minimum wage. That debate has gained steam recently and probably because the economy hasn't done that great so far. The argument Sowell makes is that raising the minimum wage may provide a short-term benefit, however, in the long-term one side effect is that this may cause unemployment amongst young Blacks who are looking for work.

It seems raising the minimum wage is a bit counter-intuitive to help people find work, yes?

Anyway, it's just one example of what I'd like to find mainstream. There's more than one way to consider issues especially affect Blacks and that's not to say everything you hear will be correct. It's just one solution doesn't fit every situation.

Also in line with how I started this post this is probably why I started following conservative opinion. In my own opinion conservative thinkers have been correct about a number of things. Of course this doesn't mean that I shouldn't continue to look for a variety of points of view in order to consider the issues of the day.