Drey

One of the reasons I don’t like socialism is public bathrooms. A public bathroom is about as basic a shared resource as you can get. Everyone gets to use it, and everyone is expected to show a little consideration for the next person. The rules aren’t particularly complicated. And yet, a shocking number of adults can’t even manage to throw their paper towels in the trash. Some will pee all over a toilet seat and leave it for the next person. And the next person, who didn’t make the mess, certainly isn’t going to clean it up either. Now imagine trusting these same people to collectively manage an entire economy. We can’t even get everyone to agree that cleaning up their own pee is a personal responsibility, but somehow we’re supposed to believe everyone will become hardworking, responsible, and considerate when we’re sharing the fruits of each other’s labor. Now, compare your average public restroom to a Buc-ee’s bathroom. Buc-ee’s figured something out. Clean bathrooms attract customers. Customers spend money. So the company has a financial incentive to keep those bathrooms spotless. They hire people to maintain them, hold employees accountable, and compete for your business. And people will literally plan their road trips around stopping there. That’s capitalism. Someone recognized a problem, found a way to solve it, and made money because people valued the result. Of course, not everyone contributes equally to society. Some people work harder, make better decisions, and take more responsibility. Others seem perfectly content making life more difficult for everyone around them. I believe people should have the freedom to live however they choose. I also believe in helping people who genuinely need it. But I have a hard time accepting an economic philosophy that expects me to trust everyone to act in the collective interest when some people can’t be bothered to clean up after themselves. Buc-ee’s figured out how to get people to willingly pay for a better experience. Socialism wants me to believe the people leaving paper towels on the floor will suddenly become responsible stewards of everyone else’s resources. I’m going with the beaver.