Returning to school reminded me how much in the minority I actually am. It's returning to a sea of apathetic liberalism--half-ventured claims about how Republicans hate poor people and/or minorities and/or [insert historically down-trodden group here] that are met with half-murmured assents from surrounding students. In simple words: ugh.

The problem is that we've had it beaten into our heads that we have to solve all the world's problems and that the proper solution is more government, not less. Although we (the Gen Next we) are at the age of rebelling from parental authority, we're surprisingly passive in handing over the reins to the government. Eager even. It's odd. The government can, y'know, put you in jail rather than ground you and impound your car rather than just taking the keys. These are bad things.

That vague sense of government-must-fix-it defines the liberal apathy of our generation and it was the underlying argument in Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Among my favorite quotes: "These challenges [home values plummeting, high gas prices, high credit card bills] are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush."

Why is it the government's job to fix every problem? Oh, wait, it's because most government solutions turn into new government problems which in turn require more helpful government solutions. Ad nauseam.

And: "Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology."

There are many things I cannot do alone, but I think of this in terms of national security, law enforcement, and public services rather than giving the government a slush fund to play with new scientific research. No thanks.

But the best, most illuminating, and most fundamental is really this: "That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper."

Really? Really? I do not reject the idea on its face. It's good to care about others, to show compassion, to give and share with those who are less fortunate, to remember that your needs are not the only ones in the world. I laud those who give time, money, and support to causes in which they believe and to which they are devoted.

But I do not think it is the government's job to do it on my behalf--or to force me to do the same. Obama's brand of Democratic policy does not just ask you to think of others or encourage you to play nice. Instead, his policies force you to surrender resources to the government so that the government can distribute those resources in whatever way it sees fit. Stripped down to its bare components, that's the simple truth. It isn't about sharing; it's about giving more--more power, more money, and more resources--to the government.

It's a troublesome perspective, but one that has done a good job in gripping this generation. So try this simple test. Replace "my parents" everywhere it says "government" in a policy and gauge your reaction to the feeling. My parents...will provide my health care, my retirement, my gas money, and guarantee my mortgage. Does anyone else see something wrong here?