The aftermath of Hurricane Wilma has been an excellent case study in why federal spending has gotten out of hand.

See, there was one thing rather remarkable about this hurricane season: it showed with regularity how much more precise weather forecasts have become. In not one, but THREE instances, NWS forecasts predicted with reasonable accuracy where the hurricanes would make landfall in the United States. And in the case of Hurricane Wilma, it was almost PINPOINT accuracy.

Failing to heed the lessons of Gulf Coast residents after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita made their marks, many Floridians stayed put, mocking those they felt to be of lesser constitution further to the west. This was, after all, Florida, and Floridians are USED to hurricanes.

Now, they're begging for government help, and complaining when it isn't coming fast enough. And the worst part is, we're listening!

Three hurricanes, and the government is held entirely responsible for restoring the power, the homes, and the transportation infrastructure. Private insurance companies, which SHOULD be bearing the responsibility, will instead rely on federal subsidies, despite the FACT that one common denominator exists among many victims of the big three...ALL of them defied DIRECT ORDERS to evacuate their communities.

We are a very populous nation. With a population approaching 300 million, we have varied interests. And the federal bank account is only so large. And yet, we expect the government to be there to cut a check to fund research for every disease, finance reconstruction for every disaster worldwide, provide education, and in many cases, health care, for every American (and many non-Americans as well...but that's another topic). In short, we expect the government to be a panacea for every societal ill, no matter how slight. We expect the government to provide absolute security on our streets and in our buildings, and we expect them to cough up when they fail to provide absolute security. We expect them to invade others' homes to investigate crimes they MIGHT commit in the future, we expect them to provide our moral compass, and we expect them to defend our borders.

Frankly, with all we expect of them, we're getting a BARGAIN.

But the simple fact is, we're expecting too much.

Trying to create a welfare state has left us fat and lazy. We don't take accountability for ourselves, and, frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if not a few people sat out the hurricanes rubbing their hands in gleeful anticipation of the check that the government would provide if the hurricanes hit with full fury. We are, after all, a nation addicted to the concept of something for nothing, a fact to which our collective gambling addiction would bear witness.

It's time to just say NO! to the laundry list of subsidies we demand of our government. We must, of course, keep promises made to those individuals to whom promises WERE made (ie, social security), but we must work to counteract decades of government decadence and foolish spending that appear according to some experts to be on the verge of bankrupting this great nation. We must NOT call for HIGHER taxes and GREATER spending, as this will quickly lead to the decline of manufacturing and agricultural industries, who will seek the greater profits to be found in greener pastures with less taxation.

We must, in short, begin  to act responsibly and expect our government to do so as well.

Though I am not inclined to quote a statesman such as John Fitzgerald Kennedy, he was RIGHT when he famously stated: "Ask not what your country can do, but what you can do for your country". It's time we begin asking ourselves that often, and ACTING according to the answers we receive.