Does it ever make you wonder?

So much of today's national discussion centers on the manner in which we -- as a society -- provide for those who cannot provide for themselves. These discussions are neither new nor, quite frankly, creative in any fashion.

Let's state without reservation that society has a moral responsibility to provide the essential necessities for those unable -- for whatever reason -- to provide those needs for themselves. End of discussion.

This is neither a conservative nor liberal discussion, nor does either political party have a monopoly on this philosophy.

I believe what irks many people is our national obsession with providing for those who choose not to lift their own weight. I can only guess the numbers in this particular category. But this is the ugly, unspoken aspect of generosity in the form of tax dollars that gets the blood boiling among the conservative segment.

I wrote last week about the unimaginable financial toll that is facing this country from an array of proposed programs, many designed to help those in need. For the time being, let's ignore that fiscal impact and just try to concentrate on those on the receiving end of this movement.

When you see four young males sitting on a porch in midafternoon having a casual beer, does it make you wonder why they are not working? OK, let's just dream that they all work the night-shift. Unfortunately the reality is that this is just a dream and nothing more.

When you see a customer at a grocery story use a government-funded debit card for their groceries and then load those items in a brand new expensive Escalade, are you remotely curious how they can afford such a nice vehicle but not their own food?

When you read the birth announcements in this or any other newspaper and you see where a young woman is having her fourth child without the advantage of a husband, are you compassionate about her plight in life, or do you wonder just how many more tax dollars are headed her way?

When a morbidly obese person stomps out that last cigarette before pulling out a Medicaid card out for an emergency-room visit, do you think that person understands that perhaps a lifestyle change might favorably affect his or her health? But then again, since you are paying for that medical care, do you honestly suspect this person even cares?

With the above observations I will surely be labeled by some as uncaring, cruel and selfish. So don't waste your time, because I couldn't care less.

The current administration will never speak these words. They may throw a bone to the conservatives by ranting about the explosion in single-parent households. They may urge "preventive" medical care for those whose personal abuse is the root of their problems.

But in the end, all dependent populations regardless of the causes will be lumped into the tax-sucking programs mandated on the backs of the responsible, working population.