According to most tea-dunkers, we are all supposed to be rugged individualists in America - strong, proud, self-reliant types. Although allegedly we Americans are always willing to help others, we really don't need any help ourselves. We are strong, self confident characters, armed with the drive to succeed, blessed with innate good sense and a foundation of good, christian morals, and that's all we need to git along. We work hard, and sure as heck we don't need no meddling Government doing things we can do for ourselves.
Well you know there's absolutely nothing wrong with self-reliance - but speaking for myself, I know my limits. I'm pretty good at things I do well, and I try to productively occupy my waking hours with these things, and with my family. Then there's the mountain of stuff that I think I could and know I should do, but I also know I simply don't have the time, and although I often feel the guilt of the lazy about this, well there really are only so many hours in a lifetime. I would like to help people less fortunate than me more, but there are so many, and I am just one, and again - how can I do this and support a family and still have time to sleep... again the guilt....
And then there are the mountain ranges of important, worthwhile activities that that I either suck at - or that I simply know nothing about. I don't know how to build a dam, or a road, or a bridge, or an electric grid. I can't teach french, or computer chip design, or art history, or anything much out of my field. And I'm too old to fight a fire, or a war. I EXPECT my government to do these things for me, and since I recognize the value of these things to society, I am willing to pay my government to do it.
WHAT, on EARTH, is your problem with that, Tea-baggers?