People, the US Government does not exist as a kind of extra bank account for your particular problems; it is not the place you should think of when you're short on rent; it is not there to protect you from bad decisions. That is your conscience.
The Government is there to protect the United States boundaries, to enforce the Constitution we've all adopted, to protect the freedoms enumerated therein, and to provide direction to our nation's promise.
I am NOT a libertarian, and I do support many federal programs, including programs for the arts and humanities, all sorts of educational programs, science and space programs, etc. I'm not even particularly "small-government," though the $9 Trillion debt Bush has saddled us with is obscene, and we have to reduce it.
There are many good things we now ask the Government to handle. In the course of our national dialogue, we have decided that the government will provide safety-nets for businesses and individuals, depending on the mood of the electorate and the ideologies of the governing politicians. This is fine, in my opinion, and I'm all in favor of a rational, limited, and fiscally-responsible continuation of the same.
However: I'm extremely concerned that Republicans and Democrats alike believe that the Government should be bailing all of us out for our poor decisions. I'm in favor of Government assistance to all those in need, but I don't count Wall Street private equity firms and middle-class over-spenders as "those in need." They are people in need of a reality check. I didn't buy a $500,000 home when I "could" have, because I think it would have been ridiculous: I mean, yes, I could make the payments in the short term, and could continue the ARM payments if I got a raise--but I didn't do that; rather, I bought within my means.
If you made $100K, for example, and thought it might be "a good idea" to buy a $750K home, then I sympathize, I guess; but don't look to the Government. You were rich already, and you wanted more, more than you can afford. Too bad.
It seems to me that a lot of folks here are debating whether Hillary or Barack will "do more" for us. In the spirit of the Kennedy endorsements, let me just say: "Ask not, what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
Let me repeat:
Yes to progressive taxation and safety nets; no to bullshit handouts, and no to more middle-class irresponsibility.
I'm for Obama, and I hope you will be, too.