I often read the term “conservative intellectuals” and scoff. What is conservative thought in the 2020s? Low taxes? Free markets? Closed borders? No regulations? No unions? Religious Freedom? What deep thought lies behind any of those concepts? Very little. I have chronicled conservative economic doctrine before, but there is an overarching theme to conservatism, and it is not any technical, nuanced notion refined by years of scholarship. It is selfishness, one of the lowest of human feelings, one that destroys all it touches. “Conservatives” currently do all they can to empower the selfish urges of their supporters: anti-vaxxers, private schools, red lined neighborhoods, limiting immigration, protecting only the religious beliefs of those who support them, and trying to increase the gaps in wealth loved by the greediest. In the zero sum world of conservative ideology, only conservatives deserve anything, and they want EVERYTHING. I saw a headline today that said conservatives are happier than progressives. What BS! They are the most miserable of all humans, BUT they pretend they are happier better than anyone else while rejoicing mostly in the increased misery of others. They will continue to be smarmy, self-righteous and vociferous in spite of their ignorance, depravity, and cognitive dissonance. The rest of us should move on and leave them in the much deserved dust, not allowing them to ruin the world for the rest of us anymore.