Hey, America: We're All Getting More Selfish

The number of Americans who think the government should ensure everyone's access to health care is falling, from a peak of 69% in 2006 to just 42% this year. "It's tempting to see that as an indictment against ObamaCare, but it might just mean more Americans are becoming jerks," writes Christopher Flavelle for Bloomberg. Consider that Americans' generosity is going downhill in other areas, too: These days, fewer people think the government should make sure everyone has somewhere to sleep and enough to eat.

"That increased callousness extends beyond Americans' views of helping the needy," to areas like the environment and foreign affairs, Flavelle writes. This isn't shocking; economic downturns often result in people caring less about others and more about themselves. But this time around, we're remaining selfish for longer. Is that because, as Paul Krugman predicted this week, the US is in a permanent economic slump? If so, unless we want to see support for programs like food stamps fade away, Democrats need to "convince people that helping their neighbors is still worthwhile." Click for his full column. (More ObamaCare stories.)