It should come as no surprise to most Americans that government entitlement programs expanded significantly during the past five years. The period from 2000 to 2005 saw the greatest rate of increase since Lyndon Johnson’s not so “Great Society.” As of 2005, the US government was spending over $1.3 trillion dollars on various entitlement programs, a 22% increase over the past 5 years.

The largest component of this increased spending came from health care costs, specifically Medicaid, which provides health care benefits for the LCDs of society. This rapid growth of social welfare in America does not bode well for the long-term viability of the American economy. These leaches on society will inevitably drive this nation into bankruptcy.

Not only are inept and cowardly politicians to blame for the unprecedented growth of entitlements in America but so too is society at large. The left in particular has cultivated an entitlement mentality, which discourages self-sufficiency and encourages dependency and a sedentary lifestyle. Leftists argue that the government should assume a paternalistic role in nurturing society. As such we have seen a steady decline in the work ethic of ordinary Americans and an increasing expectation that it is the responsibility of the state to supplement one’s income, to feed one’s children and so on.

Gone is personal responsibility, gone is accountability and gone soon is the American dream. Today it is perfectly acceptable to have children we can’t afford and live beyond our means, just so long as the state stands by to pick up the pieces of our meaningless lives. This government cannot continue to expand at these exponential rates, as we will soon outstrip our ability to provide such services and no amount of leftist inspired tax increases will offset the difference.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-03-13-federal-entitlements_x.htm