Posted by Kromey at 7:23pm Nov 11 '11It'd be easy for me to sit here in the comfort of my own chair (actually, I'm sitting in my office chair at work, which is only mildly comfortable) and say, "Of course I'd vote for my beliefs and not necessarily my personal best interests!"
It'd also be quite meaningless were I to do so.
I can't recall a single instance where I was ever faced with the opportunity to vote for/against something based on my principles, but which would have been contrary to my own best interests. But then again, I'm having a hard time contriving an example -- my principles generally follow the ideal of greater personal freedoms, which I generally feel are in my own best interests, so...
Your school funding example is probably the closest thing. Would I vote against increased school funding even if I had a kid attending said school? No idea -- I don't have kids, and I'm also embarrassingly disconnected from such matters as school budgets, having no idea what the schools can afford currently versus what they want to be able to afford.
It'd also be quite meaningless were I to do so.
I can't recall a single instance where I was ever faced with the opportunity to vote for/against something based on my principles, but which would have been contrary to my own best interests. But then again, I'm having a hard time contriving an example -- my principles generally follow the ideal of greater personal freedoms, which I generally feel are in my own best interests, so...
Your school funding example is probably the closest thing. Would I vote against increased school funding even if I had a kid attending said school? No idea -- I don't have kids, and I'm also embarrassingly disconnected from such matters as school budgets, having no idea what the schools can afford currently versus what they want to be able to afford.
I don't think I've ever had the opportunity - Kromey