I just want to explain here a moment why it is I'm a conservative and why I vote for conservatives. It's because I think I'm smart enough to decide what's best for me, and wise enough to know that there are consequences to my actions and the decisions I make. Some of the consequences may be what I desire, and others not. Yet either way, I'm responsible for these consequences.
Liberals don't see it the way I do. They see me as stupid, and incapable of making decisions on my own. Now here me out, here, I don't mean to be rude to liberals. It's just that liberals come from progressive backgrounds, and progressives believe the world is too complex for people like me, and experts need to make decisions for me on my behalf. Unfortunately for me, the experts they choose are usually -- if not always -- their experts, or liberal experts.
I, like most people, don't want to be told what to do. I want to prepare my own retirement, and if other people choose not to do this, I don't think it's "fair" that I should have to pitch in to pay for their retirement. I don't think it's "fair' I should have to buy something for the other guy because he made an unwise decision. Yet the experts of the 1940s decided to create Social Security anyway, forcing me to contribute to it regardless of how poorly it is managed. I'm not saying I'm against social security, I'm just providing an example here.
Liberals can't stand it that some people, some my good friends, choose not to buy health insurance so they can buy other things, like braces for their kids. They can't stand it that some of us may choose to eat fried food, something that may make us overweight and unhealthy. Of course they can't stand it that they might some day have to pay for our unhealthy choices, so they think they should force us to eat healthier.
Yet, I, because I think I'm smart, enjoy going on my weekly Natural Ice binges. I enjoy having 2-3 beers on a Saturday night, or on some occasions more, depending on who I'm hanging with. I enjoy going out to eat dinner, choosing to each onion rings, cheese sticks and fried chicken. Those are among my favorite foods. If I were forced to eat a ham sandwich because it was healthy for me, I'd prefer to stay home. Yet that's not what I want. I don't think that's what anyone wants who chooses to go out to eat.
You see, I like to make choices. I like to make safe choices. And for this reason, I like to be educated. If other people choose not to be educated, that's they're decision. If people want to be stupid, that's their freedom to do so. If a person wants to each Big Macs every day, then he is forced to live by the consequences thereof. I don't want people telling me I have to do otherwise.
Another reason I'm conservative is because I believe in incentives. I think that allowing me to keep most of my paycheck is the best incentive anywhere. It's an incentive for job creators to create jobs. It's an incentive for people sitting home to go out and work. It's an incentive to investors to invest. It's incentives like this that create a booming economy, and for evidence see circa 1920, 1960, 1980 and 2000.
Conservatives believe people are smart, and liberals assume people are stupid. Conservatives believe that allowing people the opportunity to use their god given right to choose, while liberals prefer their experts decide for us. Liberalism has failed everywhere it's been tried, and conservatism sometimes fails when bad decisions are made. Personally, I prefer to fail once in a while as compared to all the time.
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