As I watched the convention this week a sobering thought slapped me in the face: If John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address was screened for them, the delegates would probably protest.

Millions of Americans would certainly feel uncomfy if they heard his words. Perhaps a majority of them would.

You see, the most cited line from his address was “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.”

Tell me true, now. Do you feel that idea would fit into the plank of the Democrat Party these days? If you accuse me of being partisan, I hasten to add that a good many Republicans would not rally around such an ideal today either.

The truth is that government grows under every administration, every president. It grows more under some than others. But it grows.

Why does government grow? Because we want government to do more for us. We keep asking what our country can do for us. And the politicians we send to Washington answer with new programs. With expansions of old programs. With more grants, to fund our favorite enterprise. With more regulations, to protect us.