All the fun with statistics on both sides is pointing at a real point that Romney seems to be making in earnest - he values hard work and is repelled by the idea of handouts. I suspect most people writing and commenting here share this value on a personal level, even if they would not necessarily vote Republican.



The personal, however, does not scale directly to society as a whole. The US society and economy are much more complex than a single individual and her budget. The biggest economy in the world cannot be maintained with the level of internal coherence that would be minimal for a person to just be called sane. It has to have diversity of focus and direction, exhibit conflict dynamics and competition for resources, and a high rate of internal transformation.



To run such a hot system without there must be many safety nets for actual people that may be riding high one decade and destitute the next and visa versa. The difference between the value of personal responsibility and the value of government as a safety net and the bellow of the vibrant social and economic dynamics is what Romney's comment seems to be deaf to. It is the kind of idealistic prescription an amateur would give. It offers a metaphor as a way forward without the comfort of being wise advice