I haven't read the entire thread yet, so please excuse me if I miss a point or something....but....I have to say that I think there is a middle ground when it comes to personal responsibility.
I am all for helping people out who are hit by a tornado, lose their job, get driven out of business by the WalMarts of the world, etc.
Yes, shit happens...and no one can be prepared for everything. There should be a safety net, and it should be adequate so that people can live with dignity.
However....I see a whole lot of people who fail to take personal responsibility
when they can and then want everyone else to bail them out...and that frosts my cookies.
I work with a whole lot of people who make a good living....don't bother to save anything in their 401k because they'd rather spend it on a new car every year, and then whine that social security won't be enough to support them in a 20 year retirement.

Really?
I live in an area (and bought a short sale house from a perfect example) where lots and lots of people went crazy pulling money out of their homes on home equity loans to buy toys....boats, RVs, fishing gear, 4 wheelers, electronic goodies....and then wanted the rest of us to bail them out when the bubble burst and they owed more on their homes than they could afford to pay each month, or more than the house was worth.

Really?
I'm not talking about people who get sick, get shafted on their jobs, get preyed upon by predatory lenders....I'm talking about people who make piss poor choices, and then cry that they got a raw deal and want the government (i.e. your wallet and mine) to bail them out.
Like Jagg, that bothers me.
Yes, shit happens that people can't deal with...and they should be helped. But not everyone who's crying foul got dealt a bad hand either....they just got greedy, took a gamble, and lost.