The 60 Second Update

with Dr. Paul Rahe

3. Previous generations of Americans resisted the welfare state. What did they understand that we don't?

They understood what every teenager still understands – that it is better and more dignified to stand on one’s own two feet. Teenagers need help, seek help, and receive help, and they resent it. This is difficult for parents, but they recognize that this resentment is a seed that will, if properly nourished, grow into a manly or a feminine pride. They recognize that it is perfectly proper that the adolescent long for independence. Earlier generations of Americans thought it shameful to be on the dole; they thought it noble to be self-reliant. And they were right. For, as every teenager comes to recognize, when someone else supports you, they expect you to do their bidding, and you are not, then, free.

Question 4. What should we learn from the European countries
that have become "welfare states?"