This is creating more entitlement programs then ever before. We are becoming dependent on the government which in turn increases the likelihood that we will see ourselves not as capable and responsible, but as a nation of victims. If we aren't held responsible when we fail, then it must be someone else's fault. Lawyers are kept busy filing frivolous lawsuits in the pursuit of blame. Alan Keyes advocates personal culpability and responsibility, but he does not generate much support from voters.
Legislation removes the burden of self-control from the individual, placing it on the state.
Consequently, we rely on the government to take care of us even when we make a mistake. Abortions are provided when we fail to use birth control. Tobacco companies are liable when we can't quit smoking, and gun manufacturers are to blame when we fail to safely lock and store a handgun. Alan Keyes would probably appreciate Homer Hickam's true story of growing up poor in rural West Virginia with dreams of becoming a NASA scientist. Hickam wrote a book about his life, titled Rocket Boys, which became the hit movie October Sky.