Over the past 50 years, the purpose of the American government has radically transformed. Whereas its main goal in domestic matters used to be to protect liberty, it is now an entitlements machine, transferring over $2 trillion per year from some people's pockets to others. Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute explains how the explosions in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other welfare programs are changing the American character for the worse—from one that is focused on individual responsibility and giving, to one that is focused on grabbing as much of the pie as possible.