I just love kickin’ that old horse, Socialist Insecurity. It’s such a perfect example of how far we’ve fallen from a once-proud nation of independent people who prized self-sufficiency and were skeptical of government into a bleating herd of quivering sheeple, utterly dependent on Big Government to take care of us. Mark Outland, at Sierra Times, explains this well:

Social Security, the largest and most invasive Ponzi scheme the
world has ever known, has done more to destroy the American ideals of
self-sufficiency and personal responsibility than any other single
factor, and the fear and hysteria surrounding the President’s
suggestion of personal retirement accounts is proof. Somehow, America
managed to grow and prosper for 150 years without such massive
personal interference. … During most of this time, the concept that
each person was responsible for themselves was a given. Even charity
was conditioned upon true need. … Even when charity was given, the
social pressures to quickly move from dependency to self-sufficiency
— and personal responsibility — were great and ever-present. …
People were expected to do whatever was necessary to provide for
themselves, and not expect their fellow citizens to provide for
them. [read more]