America's Entitlement Society [Champions of Freedom: The Ludwig von Mises Lecture Series - Volume 35]

The Story

ere has been an enormous shift in the American attitude about government assistance in recent years. Previously, it was viewed as something one refrained from using unless absolutely necessary. Today, welfare, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, public education, and hundreds of other federal programs are seen as entitlements. Seemingly subtle, this change in attitude is profound and affects our view of personal responsibility and the role of government. These essays, adapted from lectures given at Hillsdale College in January 2007, examine - from both practical and philosophical points of view - the current state of the federal government's redistribution of wealth in its various forms. Relevant passages from Ludwig von Mises's writings are also included. The Ludwig von Mises Lecture Series and the Champions of Freedom book series were established at Hillsdale College in 1973, in honor of one of the twentieth century's foremost defenders of economic liberty.