Now we have to contend with religious welfare, too. If religious groups don't fight this new alliance with the state, they will find they've made a deal with the devil. It's unbelievable how common it is. Libertarians can take a number of lessons from this case. Several traditions within the libertarian movement, such as Objectivism, point to the nihilistic tendencies in our culture.
Life is lived superficially.
A crass materialism has overtaken a more fulfilling style of life. The late Roman Empire fell into moral decline, and America seems to be following a similar path. People are increasingly dependent upon the state to make their decisions, and decreasingly self-motivating. If children aren't drugged up by their school officials, they find their own drugs, just like in Brave New World. In Russia, vodka seems to have been the favored way to escape the dreariness of living with Big Brother.