The Politics of Personal Responsibility

I was reading an interview with Bill Maher that lent some insight into how he developed his politics. Apparently, most of his beliefs stem from a fundamental "fear of religion", and the "devastating" impact that it can have on civil rights. Ridiculous. However, it got me thinking about how I developed my politics.

I am a social and fiscal conservative and free-market capitalist. Nothing irritates me more than the self-perpetuating cycle of entitlement in this country. I absolutely, positively do not look to any religion for guidance on policy. I do not worship at the altar of big corporations, as Democrats would have you believe. I base my politics entirely on personal responsibility.

I want the government to do what is necessary to keep a foreign army from invading. I want it to protect my ACTUAL rights (not the perceived ones championed by the political left) through its legal system. I want it to provide public services such as roads, bridges, etc. And that is all.

The problem with the politics of the left is that it eschews the necessity of personal responsibility. Consider the following issues:

Abortion - The rallying cry of pro-choicers is that women's rights are trampled by abortion regulation - mainly the "women's right to choose". I am 100% for the woman's right to choose. She and her partner choose to engage in the act of procreation (#1), and then they choose to not use protection (#2)! That's two choices! So choose to deal with the consequences.

Hurricane Katrina - This was easily the worst natural disaster on U.S. soil in decades. New Orleans and Louisiana officials, along with refugees, led the charge to attack the Republican FEDERAL administration for "not responding quickly enough". First of all, I specifically remember two days before the storm saying, "If that cat 5 storm hits Louisiana, New Orleans is gone because those levies won't hold." Am I an expert on the subject? No. Did I live there at the time? No. I went to New Orleans one time for 3 days. But it was common knowledge that it would be completely destroyed in a cat 3 storm! This was a cat 5 storm! If you didn't get out of the city - that's your fault. As for the local officials, they knew better than anyone else on the planet what was at stake. They didn't bus the poor or sick out of the city. They didn't offer worthwhile evacuation plans. They didn't evacuate government vehicles (such as school busses) that are costing tax payers millions to replace. They had no plan whatsoever - they were purely reactionary. There is plenty of blame to go around, and almost none of it should go to the federal government.

Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid - I am not opposed to these programs for people who are disabled, and in certain circumstances as an incentive for prospective single mothers. However, these are the entitlement beasts that have consumed our country and have us accustomed to giving 40% of our paychecks to our fatass uncle in striped pants. If you are not disabled, plan for your own retirement! Purchase your own healthcare! I can almost guarantee that you will do a better job at taking care of yourself than our government will.

I could go on and on about almost any modern issue and how the left champions shirking personal responsibility, but you get the point.

I honestly believe that once an individual has to overcome some difficulties by his- or herself, he/she cannot be a Democrat. I cannot pity those who do little or nothing to help themselves in today's society. I physically and mentally cannot do it. It was not that long ago that my dad and his 7 brothers and sisters were in a 13x13 shack in the country refusing government assistance.

Unfortunately, Americans are incredibly lazy, and once you give them a supersize serving of entitlement, it's too late.