I remember the day I became a conservative. I was in eighth grade, sitting in the school cafeteria during lunch. I noticed that everyone in line was receiving free lunches, but I was not. My father had to give me cash each week to buy my lunch. Meanwhile, my classmates used their cash to buy juice and snacks. That was when I started to question why I didn’t qualify for free lunch like the others.

I approached the cafeteria lady and asked why I wasn’t eligible. She handed me a form to be filled out by my parents. I took the form home and asked my father to fill it out so I could get free lunch and use my cash for snacks. He told me that he made too much money to qualify. I was confused because I thought everyone just needed to fill out the form; I didn’t understand why I was excluded.

My father then explained a fundamental conservative principle: personal responsibility. He believed that relying on government assistance could encourage dependence and discourage working hard. Instead, he emphasized the importance of taking responsibility for oneself and paying for one’s needs through effort and hard work. He explained that we should be self-reliant rather than expecting government programs to support us.

He also pointed out that our income placed us in a different tax bracket. Our taxes were funding those free lunches for other students. As he spoke, I looked around and saw many kids wearing brand-name shoes and clothes. I realized that my father’s hard work was subsidizing those luxuries for others, which made me think about fairness and the role of government in redistribution.

My father’s decision not to sign those papers was rooted in the conservative belief that dependence on government programs can create a cycle of reliance. He wanted me to understand that success comes from effort, not entitlement. He believed that individuals should be empowered to succeed through their own initiative, not through government support that might discourage personal responsibility.

That moment was pivotal for me. It shaped my perspective and taught me key conservative principles. I learned the importance of personal responsibility, the value of limited government, and that hard work and individual effort are essential for success. It reinforced my belief that government should serve as a facilitator, not a crutch. From that day forward, I understood that policies encouraging self-reliance and fiscal responsibility are vital for a thriving society.