BUSH ON VIRTUE
President Bush speaking at a commencement ceremony at the University of Michigan: In recent times, often with noble intentions, we as a nation have discouraged good works. Nowadays, many respond to misfortune by asking, “Whom can I sue?” Even worse, many would-be Samaritans wonder, “Will someone sue me?” Talented, concerned men and women avoid such noble professions as medicine for fear that unreasonable and undefined liability claims will force them to spend more time in court than in the office or in the hospital. And at the same time, government programs have tried to assume roles once reserved for families and schools and churches. This is understandable, but dangerous. When government tries to serve as a parent or a teacher or a moral guide, individuals may be tempted to discard their own sense of responsibility, to argue that only government must help people in need. If we’ve learned anything in the past quarter century, it is that we cannot federalize virtue.…
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