I understand voting against your own interests, but this is ridiculous!

As my wise father once said, "Profit is killing us."

Americans are often called upon to vote against their own interests: for example, I'm happy to vote for higher taxes on myself if it benefits those less fortunate than me or if it benefits the greater community. 

To me, that simply makes sense--sharing is caring!

What doesn't make sense is the degree to which maga get conned by republicans year after year, decade after decade.

They still lap up trickle-down bs, as if they'll somehow get richer by giving all their money to rich people (they won't).

They still think that the government's purpose is to profit (it isn't) and that, thus, the government should be run like a business (it shouldn't).

They still think that paying a middle-man who takes a cut off the top for profit and who produces nothing of benefit--and for whom they cannot vote because the middle-man is a private citizen rather than a government official--will somehow get them better services cheaper and with greater transparency and accountability (it won't).

They still think that privatization--using money, via profit, as a motivator rather than service--will focus providers on service rather than money (it won't).

They still think that paying more for less will somehow get them more (it won't).

They just can't grasp the fact that the government's purpose is to serve the public, not to rule over and fleece us.

They just can't grasp the fact that privatization means paying more for less--and that the "less" will also be lower quality--because that's how for-profit business works by definition.

When money is the motivator, job 1 is making as much profit as possible and spending as little as possible to meet the barest minimum requirements. 

republican rank and file voters just can't seem to grasp this simple fact. So they're only too happy to give up the Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid they rely on for survival and pay a whole lot more money for a whole lot less--and a whole lot worse--service with a whole lot more gatekeeping, bureaucracy, service denials, and hassle.

Buckle up, buttercups. Methinks you're in for a rude awakening. I can only hope that you really do awaken...and that you wake up to the fact that government is a service and that it should prioritize people over money.