The No Fault Nation

If The Declaration of Independence was drafted today it would be vastly different.  References to God, liberty and life would vanish. Too radical concepts for the current Washington political class.  With apologies to Thomas Jefferson, the document might read like this if it was written today:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident that no individual can be held responsible for his or her actions.  It shall be the government's duty to protect its citizens from themselves. Happiness is defined as having the government bail out individuals guilty of bad decisions."

If that sounds far fetched, then consider the transformation of the respective roles of individuals and the government in our nation.

Thousands of Americans purchased homes they couldn't afford before the recession.  They lied about their income.  Many flipped homes in a fit of speculative greed. They incurred more debt than they could handle.  It wasn't their fault home prices plummeted. The government stepped in and bailed out many homeowners with a slew of acronym programs.  Taxpayers were on the hook for $127.6 billion.

One in ten Americans default every year on their student loans underwritten by the federal government.  Going to a less expensive college was never an option.  Working to help defray expenses while attending college was too old fashioned.  It isn't their fault college prices have soared.  Student loan debt stands at $1 trillion and the government has made it easier for students to default or pay less than the full amount owed.

Ten million unemployed Americans have quit looking for work.   Accepting a low paying job is beneath many. Working part-time hardly seems worth the effort. It isn't their fault jobs are scare in the Obama economy.  Not to worry because Washington just keeps extending the number of weeks the jobless receive benefits.  Every time it does, it costs taxpayers an additional $30 billion annually.

Nearly 19 million young people under the age of 34 do not have health insurance.  The majority work at firms that offer insurance, but they choose not to pay for it.  It isn't their fault they spend their earnings on other priorities.  Now the government has decreed these individuals must carry insurance or face a tax penalty when Obama Care is implemented in 2014.  Total cost of the health care reform is more than $1 trillion.

Millions of American children are overweight.  They slurp too much soda, gobble too many chips, woof down too many sweet treats.  As a result, there are three million youngsters with Type 1 diabetes. Parents claim they are powerless to do anything about it.  It isn't their fault that they can't stop their children from eating and drinking too much.  The health care costs for treatment of Type 1 diabetes are estimated at $14.9 billion annually.

Holding individuals responsible for their behavior is passé.  That attitude has given rise to billions of dollars in government programs designed to ease the burden of living irresponsibly.

Individuals aren't the only ones shirking accountability.  President Obama has set the national tone in winning two elections by blaming the country's ills on former President George W. Bush, Congress, The Tea Party, Republicans, corporate greed, the wealthy, private jets, tax loopholes and an uneven playing field. It is never his fault.  

The individual rights guaranteed in The Declaration of Independence are worth sustaining.  However, those rights carry responsibilities. The government's role is to uphold those rights, not to reward irresponsible behavior at taxpayer's expense.