Culture of Dependence

Is the debate over government spending, regulation, and taxes just a fiscal matter, or is it really a cultural issue? Michael Barone suggests it is at its heart it is cultural:

But [tea partiers] recognize, correctly, that the Obama Democrats are trying to permanently enlarge government and increase citizens' dependence on it.
....
Seeing our political divisions as a battle between the culture of dependence and the culture of independence helps to make sense of the divisions seen in the 2008 election.