Actually, I don't agree that the problem is the responsible vs. the irresponsible. The problem is with those who believe that they can solve the problem of irresponsibility by robbing and enslaving the responsible. Some call them "do-gooders" but their actions are anything but good. Taking a little liberty with a quote from Alan Greenspan... A fool can stay foolish longer than you can remain solvent (while attempting to protect him from his folly). When we realize that protecting fools from their folly is in itself a fool's errand, we may then cease being fools ourselves.

It is disappointing to me that otherwise intelligent people (townhall.com staff) cannot seem to comprehend that the same federal government that they correctly ridicule for incompetent and occasionally malicious domestic policies is the same federal government that creates and enforces foreign policy. You correctly observe that the federal government's inflationary, high tax and overregulation policies motivate Americans to adjust their behavior resulting in higher unemployment and recession. But when someone observes that foreign policies of aggressive war, no matter how carefully and surgically waged, might also motivate people to change their behavior, you begin to wave the flag and your arguments degenerate into ad hominem.

Michael Gerson writes... "But the coalition for entitlement reform should be broad as well, including everyone from tax cutters to poverty warriors to pork spenders. When members of Congress find their legislative discretion severely narrowed by mandatory commitments, they may awaken to difficult, necessary responsibilities". So, in other words... Congressmen, in order to remain sugar daddies, dispersing loot to their favored constituencies, may be inclined to rein in entitlement spending so they'll continue to have loot to disperse to their favored constituencies. Are you kidding? First, I haven't seen anything that will keep Congress from spending . Not having money doesn't even deter them. They just increase the deficit (We...