That is why the obvious solution is the FLAT TAX.

15% on the first $250,000 of income. Abolish the Capital Gains & Death Tax as well as the National Sales Tax(Known as the Corporate Tax)

"But I think we’re going through a massive concerted effort to expand the number of people who are dependent, who are looking to the government to buy them free breakfast, lunch and dinner, far beyond any reasonable definition of genuine need."

i really don't see the "concerted effort to expand the amount of people dependent on the government." the insinuation being that the point is simply to increase the amount of dependents. that's ridiculous in my opinion.

now. if he is referring to the way things stand right now, perhaps, but that is only because there is a need. we are in the sort of financial times that require things like emergency assistance, though personally i would have preferred to have seen that money being directed towards things like work programs and investing in the massive infrastructure rehabilitation that is so needed. instead, for the first time in us history we have been fighting wars during which instead of raising taxes, as we have for all other times of massive conflict, we actually cut them. thus we have just been sending all our money to the wars and to financial organizations instead of paying for the new increased debt burden.

we have just been shifting that debt burden over to the next administration because we don't want to deal with the bills on our kitchen table. and the financial organizations that got the money were given it because, according to those that gave it, had they not been given it there would be no money to lend and our economy and financial system would lock up and completely collapse. we gave them the money, they sat on it and our economy didn't lock up and completely collapse.

if by expanding the number of dependents he means the financial industry that got all the money, the oil companies becoming wealthier as a result of the incursions into the middle east and expanded overseas military presence, the mining industries looking to benefit from afghanistan, the defense department and all the companies that rely on their "presence" and the message that sends overseas getting cheap labor, the defense contractors benefiting from the war in afghanistan and the huge presence paid for by us taxpayers in iraq (largest diplomatic corp in the world), the corrupt politicians in nations receiving money their people will never see and companies like halliburton, then yes we are expanding the amount of dependents. however the reason is wealth and making the 1% wealthier not just increasing the amount of govt dependents just for the sake of doing it. imo of course.

flat tax? i hear you, but i respectfully disagree.

GM and Chrysler Bailouts, The Sizable increase of the population on Food Stamps and Welfare.

Of course there is a "concerted effort to expand the amount of people dependent on the government." It is called buying votes.