Who are we?

Who are we?
I deal with people from all over the country through the real estate business.  I shared a story with a group the other night about some of those people that really had me thinking about where we are as Americans or Iowans.  Let me explain and then ask if it really matters.
A couple discussed some of their plans for the future.  They had been worried about money and how expenses would change their lives.  Their children were entering college and the help that their children would need financially was going to change how they lived.  But an event occurred that brightened their outlook.  The husband was laid off from work.  Instant joy for them because now their income was so low that their children qualified for nearly every government program.  They would not have to change their lives as much as they thought.  The words from them were "Thank God the business closed and my husband got laid off when he did."
I am an optimist.  So let's start with the positive and give the benefit of doubt.  They thanked God.  Well, at least that isn't out of the equation.  Maybe they were just trying to be positive, another possibility.  Maybe they could not come up with anything else to be positive about, kind of whistling in the graveyard.
But there are many levels where that statement concerns me.  My first thought was to question how they could be happy or content with being out of work.  It would seem to me that to achieve, to be self-sufficient and self-reliant would be a much more satisfying goal.  But I also had the impression that they viewed government as a source of money, the fountain of all things good, and free besides.  Maybe we all need to be reminded that government money is not theirs, it is our money in taxes that we paid into the system.  If the government took less in the taxes, maybe the business could have remained open and the family would support themselves.  I think we have more of that in our society and our own lives than we would care to admit.  Maybe most importantly is the question: Did the parents actions make an impression on the children?  Did they learn from the parents that there are free and easy sources that will meet every need you might have?  I think these small things lead to bigger things later.  Kind of like the story about the parent lying about the children's age in the theater line teaches the kids that small lies are okay, and that all businesses are rich and they can afford it.
I have been struck by the number of people already asking me for things.  Something small from the government for their interest.  Really?  That's what we are in this "conservative" district?
I think that we have some big work ahead of us.  Changing attitudes does not happen overnight.  It will take time.  And it will take people cooperating and caring for each other face to face, not through another free system.  Do we have what it takes to learn AND put into practice individual independence and liberty once again in Iowa?