Saying I'm an Independent doesn't really mean much, other than disagreeing with many of the policies of the two major parties.

I guess the best way to describe myself is that I don't really want the government to be involved in my life too much, so I'm socially liberal and fiscally responsible. 

• Socially liberal: Government should only restrict rights when not doing so would interfere with the rights of others.  So even though I'm not too particularly excited about gay marriage, for example, I don't really think it would affect me in any shape or form if it was allowed. 
• Fiscally responsible: For a long time, I thought I was fiscally conservative.  But the state of today's economy has changed that - somewhat.  I still believe in a small government.  However, the most important factor when it comes to fiscal matters is that the government must have a balanced budget.  So, first balance your budget, and then try to get rid of many of the useless programs it supports (or at least offload it on the states).  If balancing the budget requires raising taxes, then taxes should be raised.