Donna
A nicely worded statement with which I have no qualms.
Have you ever hear of the 'heiarchy of needs'? I forget who the author was, offhand. I haven't studied Psychology for over thirty years.
OK - it was
Maslow .
Basically, if a person is worried about their physiological needs (the base of the pyramid - check the above link), they're not going to worry about anything at a higher level. If they have the necessities, but are concerned about their immediate safety, things like family/friends, self-esteem, self-actualization aren't even on their radar screen.
The majority of people are dealing with issues very low on the heirarchy. They can't afford idealism until their basic needs are taken care of.
I don't disagree with your ideals, Donna. I merely think it is unrealistic to expect people to vote on their ideals. I have also indicated I am a cynic: when someone tells me they're voting is based strictly on their ideals, I tend to wonder if they're merely trying to fool me, or whether they're fooling themselves.
Are there people who will vote for the common good even though it might make their own life poorer? Yes, probably. But they don't go around bragging about it.
[This message has been edited by Jerry Glenn Hartwig (edited September 07, 2008).]