One of predominate themes I’ve noticed in liberal communities is the notion that we in the working and middle classes (i.e. most of America) are somehow voting against our interests. That, by voting for politicians with conservative values, we are doing wrong by ourselves. That if we’re not voting in support of more government, we will make our lives more difficult, because government is not there to provide for us.

I never really understood the sentiment, but then liberals started saying something else. Now they’re bemoaning our collective lot in life, saying that it isn’t possible for most of us to become wealthy. Then it clicked and I got it at last:

Liberals wants us to feel helpless, and to not lift ourselves out of our situation, so that we must turn to government dependence.

There is nothing new about this concept, of course. For years liberals have bleating on and on about how the “system” wants to keep us down. Liberals most often pin the problem on private corporations, when in fact it is they who are the problem. Liberals believe that if they can create an atmosphere of helplessness, then their nanny-state, welfare policies will be better received. These things are all well documented.

So where does this attitude come from? Well, other than deliberate class warfare (which can’t be ruled out), I think it’s from a fundamental misunderstanding of how you become successful in business. First, you need a business plan that provides some kind of value to people and differentiates you from the pack. Most of all, though, you need a bit of determination. Lots of businesses fail, but liberals seem to think that if you fail once, it’s the end of the line. That’s true if you buy into the idea, but you don’t have to. Much like getting back on a bicycle after you fall, you have to keep trying, or you’ll never get back up.

I want to become successful with my own business, so I prefer to live in a society that makes it as easy as possible to start and run one. That is why I consider voting for conservative politicians, and they conservative policies – far from being against my interests – to be well within them.