Against their own interests?

For years I have been among a large segment of Americans who criticize people who “vote against their own interests.” The people to whom we refer exist at or near the bottom of the socioeconomic scale. They typically have low wages and little or no accumulated wealth. They include those who are the working poor, as well as members of the lower middle class.

They often work two or more jobs to try to make ends meet. They are compelled to make agonizing decisions regarding how to divide an income that is inadequate to cover their basic needs: food, clothes, rent, car payments, and medical expenses. They tend to be trapped in a cycle of paying on multiple credit cards – including withdrawing cash from one card to pay another card’s bill.

This group also includes a sizable portion of America