You hear it frequently from conservatives, even the unelected ones: it's all about personal responsibility. Why do we need the government, they will say, if we each take responsibility for ourselves and our families? Why do we need taxes, they opine, when we can take responsibility for our own communities and schools? Why monitor volcanoes, says their new leader; I don't even know the conservative argument for that one, but I'm sure it comes down to personal responsibility somehow.
But, what is personal responsibility? To what do we owe that responsibility? To our nation? To our future, our posterity?
President Obama has tried to answer these nagging questions, from calls for national volunteer service to his current budget.
We must usher in a new era of responsibility in which we empower citizens with the information they need to hold their elected representatives accountable for the decisions they make.
Do elected republicans understand this type of responsibility?
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