Reading The Pioneers last night, this passage about the earliest settlers of Marietta stood out: “Those who had more resources, lent, or gave, to those who had less.” An early frost had destroyed much of their harvest, leaving families facing starvation. Yet these people worked through their shared struggle by helping their neighbors, giving what little they had to those with even less. Before the massive welfare state created widespread dependency, Americans understood their obligations to family, neighbors, and community. We’ve slowly transferred those responsibilities, and the loyalties that came with them, to the state. We didn’t eliminate the obligation to care for one another, we replaced the bonds of family and community with dependence on government. That’s the Marxist impulse.