Reinstitute the poor house. Make able-bodied poverty shameful. Stringently limit benefits of all kinds. Stop the nonsense of "running" the country from Washington. Do all governing from the level closest to the people who will pay for it. Washington must provide for the national defense; it must regulate trade (with other nations) ..... was there more? Watch the 1941 movie Sgt. York if you want to understand pride, responsibility, hard work, and gratefulness for freedom.

Dear Thumper -- Don't be such a bunny rabbit. There have been circumspect first ladies in the White House. Ms. Obama is not one of those. She very carefully painted a target on her very broad derriere knowing that there would be backlash because she is the first black first lady, family, etc.. I, for one, applaud all who try to hit it.

USMC2531: Please, clean up your drill-yard mouth. It is insulting to conservatives who value good speech and she has soooooooooo many other targets that can be attacked without resorting to scut. Thanks!

There comes a time when the option of not working includes starving. I have worked -- summers since age 14; full time since I graduated high school, often at menial positions -- and am at the top of my profession now, one of a very small elite and very well paid. I earned it. I kept my family afloat while my husband's alcoholism ended his career. I have never been unemployed for more than a week in the last 33 years. Now I am ready to retire. I have planned for it and funded it through my own work. I don't see why others cannot do so except that they are self-indulgent. A little incentive goes a long way.

Dear Katie -- to cause the enemy to run en masse is a rout, not a route. A route is a path or direction of travel.

Dear contributors: "Your" is the possessive "you." "You're" is the contraction for "you are." Confusing the two blunts your messages. Hope this helps.

Capitalism DOES work on its own. It did in this country for nearly 200 years! It wasn't until the middle of the 20th century (FDR) that the federal government began to dabble in social engineering. I'd go back to the 19th century precepts in a minute -- it built honorable and self-reliant people. Those are something that is too rare today. I do not believe we should have bailed ANY company out. Not government's job. We'd be back on track and booming today absent Obama's meddling (and Bush's, too).

AMEN

When is America going to wake up and realize that the real negative in Obama's equation is his evaluation of the American citizen as someone who needs government to "even things up," or make them "fair." I am responsible for me and those I CHOOSE to support. I am not responsible for any "victim" who has decided he or she cannot make it on his or her own or does not want to expend the effort to be self-reliant. I returned to school at age 42 to get a degree. I am almost "rich" (by Obama's standards) after 30+ years in the field (and no, I'm not 72, I worked through college). But those years make me proud of my successes and chary of having my earnings extracted by government and given to sloths.

Dear USMC -- no matter how you feel about the writer, I expect more public restraint from a good Marine.