Why are so many GOP supporter's closed minded?

I had an interesting electronic interchange with someone this week that left me wondering about the headline question.

I commented on a Washington Post article about how foreign countries generate a better health care outcome for their population overall while spending less.

Link to Story

My comment not surprising was that Republicans would never support the Singapore program of mandatory savings on the part of every worker equal to 36% of annual income to go into a personal savings account to pay for their own retiree income and health care expense because (i) it is mandatory and (ii) you would have to raise taxes to pay for the transition.  Singapore started with that program and had no transition to finance.

That generated the comment from someone.

"well why haven't you been saving 36% of your income to pay for your expenses? 
do you need the government to order you to be responsible? "


Why does this person assume that I have not been saving?  Why do they assume that because I support policies that deal with reality that I am a sponge on the government?  It can only be because they are close minded.

For the record, I have always tried to save between 20% & 25% of my income not including Social Security and medicare contributions.  I also have purchased a Long Term Care Policy so that neither my wife nor I will end up on Medicaid because of dementia.  I wonder if that critic has been so prudent, but alas I will never know because of the anonymity of internet commentary.

But what allowed me to do that was an income level that placed me in the top 5% for over 20 years and a personal desire to have savings in retirement so that we could enjoy a certain life style.  Unfortunate early retirement has reduced that future life style but we will be able to sustain ourselves.

However, I have earned a social security benefit and access to a group insurance plan like Medicare because I have paid into that insurance system for over 30 years.  It is part of my retirement plan and if a contract with the government is not honored, then the political system is morally bankrupt and will not be respected by the people.  That does not mean the government cannot change the benefit to maintain a sound fiscal condition, but the basic rules cannot be changed.

However, I digress from my main point.  The critic assumed that because I support the individual mandate and other forms of group insurance for individuals, I am somehow irresponsible.  I know RedStateVT does not think I am irresponsible, so why would anyone assume blindly that people with an opposing view are irresponsible.  How can such people expect to convince me that they are correct, when they make false assumptions about me?

I believe every human being deserves respect for what they are and access to certain basic things.  The government must provide some of these, but while doing so, encourage people to become self-supporting.  While that works for people before retirement age, it does not work after retirement age.  After retirement, government can fiddle with the benefit, but not change the system.

Debate that with me, not whether I have become a sponge on the government.