Believe it or not, I thought my vote was about my interests. Should I use my vote to do what's best for those that are worse off than me, even if its against my own self interests? I guess voting is sort of a selfish thing. I get to vote for who I think is best for me. Now "me" might be my family, my wife, my girl friend, my neighborhood, my coworkers, my church, etc. But ultimately its not about everyone else. They get their vote, I get mine.
As for your list, you forgot some people.
-The doctor who put himself through 15 years of advanced education to become successful and wealthy and doesn't like being taxed double, triple or more than what others who make less are taxed.
-The libertarian gun owner, hunting guide that doesn't like a bunch of suits in Washington telling him what guns he/she can buy or what animals he/she can shoot on her own land.
-The homeschooling Baptist husband and wife who are sick of the government telling them how to raise their children
-The self-made branch manager of a major bank that worries about the level of care her family will receive if universal health care is mandated.
Believe it or not, there are counter arguments to progressive positions that our many of our fellow Americans believe in. The cases you present in your OP lend themselves to supporting progressive positions (and Jeez that felt like a guilt trip). But there are others in this country that are in situations/positions/lifestyles, etc that-gasp-favor more conservative/libertarian positions on the issues. So should I concern myself with them when I'm in the voting booth or only the poor, disadvantaged and downtrodden?
First let me establish an agreed upon foundation for this debate. Didactic?
Pretty sure that's what you meant by your "Jeez, that felt like a guilt trip comment."
Other than that, what's with the pretense that you even care about those other people? You care about you. I can't see any motivation other than guilt for feeling selfish that would compel you to cull some talking points on the cheap to complain that you don't have enough money because you think you have to care about everyone else. You don't bigdaddy. You favor more conservative/libertarian positions on the issues. Steel your spine and just state what you believe. You want more money and you want the power and influence that goes with deciding who you give it to. My impression is that a lot of the "me" you talk about, like your wife, girlfriend and church, for example, require that you dole out some bucks when you're really not getting everything you think that money earns. You can talk about things like that here. Using a blog as a therapeutic outlet is obviously free. Sometimes people feel that not enough people are hearing what they have to say when they call into their favorite AM station. We do. Just be who you are and say what you feel. You're American, you vote, you pay taxes and of course your opinions matter. No one knows who you are. Let it rip!
Next caller?
