[Harry Rex Vonner]

Those who are under insured or not insured should not be bailed out by any level of government. They should be helped with necessities for a reasonable, but not overly extended (like unemployment "benefits"), period of time. However, they shouldn't be made whole for all their losses at the expense of the taxpayers. Responsible people had insurance to cover their losses. They should not have their tax dollars used for those who did not act responsibly.

Who has the first responsibility? I would say the injured party should first be responsible. Next would be his/her family and friends. Third, to a limited degree should be local government. Next, to a limited extent, state government. Last, and only for limited services, the federal government. Woven throughout all this are charitable organizations like Red Cross, Salvation Army, and churches (yes, those nasty, judgmental Christians and Jews do tend to be a major source of help).

Local, state, and federal government must be responsible to restore public buildings and facilities. However, that does not extend to private facilities like homes. That is why people carry insurance.

I'm sure the usual sources will be highly disturbed by this post. Go for it. The theme of the post is personal responsibility. This country was built on that theme. The continued deterioration of that theme will destroy the country. We are moving quickly in that direction.