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There are many nations with a similar level of development and wealth as the United States. How prevalent is this problem in Canada? In Europe?

You propose "personal responsibility" as the solution to this, but does Canada or Europe depend more on "personal responsibility" or less than the US?

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Ayn Rand, arguably a strong proponent of "personal responsibility", required welfare at the end of her life. She made some justifications for how she could live off of welfare but still did it.

When times are personally good it's easy to make arguments about what people should do, but when you're in a situation with no support things feel a lot different.

> but when you're in a situation with no support things feel a lot different.

The fact that things feel different in hard times does not change whether objectively they are right or wrong.

Are you sure that the problem doesn't actually exist in Europe and Canada? Are you sure it isn't offset by a culture where the young are expected to care more for their elders?

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