I have been a self-described independent since 1996, when I was 22, because of the Clinton regime's charge to the right which mimicked the militant Republican Congress of the time.
In college I was a member of the Northern Kentucky Young Democrats, before quitting the Democratic Party.
I became an independent (or whatever it's called in MA, I forget) about that time too. You may find that you'll have very little input as an independent (Declined-to-State in CA). I suspect at some point you'll either go back to the Democrats or become a Republican. You can be a Republican without ever having to give them money or vote for any of their candidates in general elections, you know. Same with the Democrats. But at least that way, you can have some say in the matter.
