Every so often I take a few minutes of quiet reflection to try and understand what other people are thinking. This morning I heard a news story and had one of those moments.

The story was about the great lengths government goes to to make sure that people do not get benefits they are not entitled to. Benefits like health insurance for children or food stamps for the hungry or job training.

In the story a person talked about how we could instead take all the money we spend on making sure people dont get these benefits and use that money instead to pay for more benefits. That kind of seems like common sense to me as well as the Christian thing to do but it got me thinking.

There are a LOT of Americans who are passionate about this idea that other people are getting something for free. These people clearly feel strongly about this issue. They are ANGRY about this notion of free loaders. How dare those poor kids get health insurance if their parents dont deserve it!

I just dont understand this sentiment or where it comes from but this idea that others are getting something they arent entitled to shows up all the time on various topics. It is clearly a strong and motivating force in the American electorate. Why? What is at the root of it? Is there a legitimate source for something that seems to me like pure hateful selfishness?

I would also ask why this anger is so focused on the poorest and least able of our countrymen and so little of it is focused on the richest corporations and the wealthiest citizens? Enron can have tax breaks, the wealthiest can pass on inheritance without taxes but woe to the Mexican child in public school. We need to find those kids and get 'em!

Yeah, I see the anger but I just dont get it.

I think this issue also shows up with those silly tea party things last week. No one wants to pay taxes while everyone thinks other people are paying less than they are.

We should have nice streets and stable electricity and bridges but we shouldnt have to actually pay for them. Likewise we should have public schools but we dont want any of the wrong "public" to attend them and we certainly dont want to pay taxes to operate them.

Somehow the "government" is just wasting all this money. If the government wasnt so "massive" we wouldn't have to pay taxes and there would be money for everything.

Maybe these are different issues but again one way to phrase the issue is this idea that I am not getting what I deserve while other people are getting more than they deserve. It is emotional. It is angry. But is there any truth to it or is it just the simplest thing to think when unencumbered by any facts?

I dont understand what people are thinking but I can see why are country is falling apart. We have lost the idea that we are helping each other, striving for a common America.