@paulc—I take offense to your statement, “That those with the means to help others should be expected to do so?”
Who decides who has the means to help the “less fortunate”? You? The government?
I guess that means that everyone in America who makes at least minimum wage ought to be sending 30% of their income to those in Darfur, or Ethiopia, or Afghanistan or any of a thousand other countries where people are “less fortunate” than even the “least fortunate” in America. What gives you the right to decide who’s too wealthy to think for themselves? What makes you more noble and altruistic than the next guy?
Like it or not, America’s wealth and power on the world stage is a result of Libertarian ideals. Those who work harder are rewarded. It has nothing to do with their station in life. Your last post indicated that you believe people do expect to be taken care of—provided they can prove that they truly are “less fortunate.”