Whose job is it to help those in need? Some say it's the government's. That's certainly the view of Ebenezer Scrooge. When asked to contribute to the poor, he responds: "Are there no prisons? And the union workhouses? Are they still in operation?" Substitute "welfare checks" and "food stamps," and you find the same attitude prevails today: Let Uncle Sam handle the problem.
"Tell us about the American miracle." It was in 1983 when West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl spoke those words to President Ronald Reagan. They were gathered at the annual G7 economic summit attended by the heads of the leading industrialized nations.