I just watched a classic Milton Friedman clip from a talk in the 70s in which he was asked whether society has a responsibility to provide for the poor. This distinction between government and society (or lack thereof) seems to be a philosophical basis for one divide between conservatives and liberals, particularly when it comes to entitlement programs such as healthcare reform.
The clip brought into resolution that point of contention within me. I believe strongly that I, and each of us, has a heavy responsibility to provide for the less fortunate. There but for the grace of God go I. I am far less convinced that the right mechanism to do so is to outsource that responsibility to the government. Perhaps this makes me a bit conservative constitutionally. I guess that's what makes me a bleeding heart liberal that can't bring himself to vote Democrat very often, particularly in federal elections.
If you're interested, here's the clip (http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2010/04/milton-friedman-on-responsibility-to.html).
HT: Cafe Hayek
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