"cjcampbell" wrote in message
oups.com...
One of the big problems that we
are dealing with is a culture of dependency. It is too easy to extend
our perceptions of that problem to a point where people don't realize
how inter-dependent they are. A culture of dependency is classless. I
see it in rich and poor alike, among all races and people. It basically
says, "I cannot do anything for myself. It is up to the government, or
the rich, or somebody else, to provide for all my wants and needs." It
is basically a refusal to grow up, to remain forever a child who is
taken care of by its parents.

It's possible, of course, to be excessively dependent. But in general, being
able to create institutions that we can depend on for protection (from
violence, from the aftermath of disasters, from unbreathable air...) is one
of the great blessings of civilization. And as the example of pilots relying
in part on SAR illustrates, such dependency is hardly tantamount to an
attitude that "I cannot do anything for myself".

--Gary