A Nation of Moochers': Is the 'Take Care of Me' Society 'Wrecking the USA?

I recently interviewed Milwaukee radio talk host Charles Sykes about his new book "A Nation of Moochers: America's Addiction to Getting Something for Nothing."

The folks over at The Fiscal Times have also talked to Sykes -- here's how they set up the conversation:

You’ve played by the rules. Worked hard to put yourself through school. You’ve gotten a decent job and you pay your taxes.

You’re faithfully paying down your mortgage and saving money in a 401(k) – all to secure your finances and your future. But now there are a lot more “takers” than “makers” in this country – and the impact is systemic and long-lasting.

A prevalent new “moocher culture” is changing the character of this nation – that’s the core message of A Nation of Moochers: America’s Addiction to Getting Something for Nothing, a new book by Charles J. Sykes, senior fellow at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute and the author of six previous books.

“This has been the flash point in American politics for the last several years,” Sykes toldThe Fiscal Times in an interview this week. “In the wake of the Great Recession, we’ve shifted from a culture of celebrating and encouraging those who are productive and hardworking, to a culture where handouts, bailouts, freebies and entitlements dominate.

You start to wonder, Why am I paying the freight for those who have been reckless and irresponsible, whether it’s on Wall Street or in Washington or anywhere else in the community? I think we’re becoming a very different nation.”

You will want to read their interview here.

GBTV subscribers can see my in-depth video interview with Sykes as part of Friday's show here.

For everyone else -- here's an excerpt!  Sykes is not a fan of governments giving tax incentives to big Hollywood movie production.  I ask him to explain: