Here’s the mystery: although most Americans say they support cutting government spending in general, they nevertheless oppose cutting any specific program — least of all the so-called entitlement programs that are driving today’s torrent of spending: Social Security and Medicare.

In a recent panel discussion at the Cato Institute, ARI senior fellow Onkar Ghate argues that the explanation for this resistance to cutting government is the widespread belief that a person has a right to be taken care of by others. This entitlement mentality, Onkar explains, is ingrained in our culture via an entitlement morality: the notion that we are our brother’s keeper. And it’s that notion that opponents of the growth of government have to be willing to challenge.

Watch the whole presentation here.