My opinion on the subject is, this society had many of the same attribute's the Japanese have today, 60 years ago, about the time when this society decided Social Security wasn't just for the elderly or invalid and child survivers of the same, and welfare wasn't just for the same demography.
This Society decided that it's was responsible for little Mary / Jimmy not getting a good job because of thier not studying in school, if they even went to school, and the same applied to the criminal Juvie's too, all the way to adulthood, "Society made me do it" was a valid argument in the Liberal Mindset. Sure, have as many kids as you want, who's the Daddy, we don't care, we'll pay you to chuck them out as often as you want, the working stiff can afford it too.
(This is crude, but why don't we offer to pay for abortions if a responsible parent isn't in place, and even pay a abortion bonus of $5000 to the women, it's be far cheaper than 18 years of child welfare, especially if future jail time would be reduced too).
Then we've graduated to the "Entitlement" Society, where the "Give me's" hold sway in dealing with life's tribulation's, reference to the Katrina crowd as master's of the verse.
To see evidence of this today, check out the Liberals on Illegal Immigration.
Just my feelings, and remember, this Society once was the Society to emulate after WWII, sadly, not anymore, as our value system has degenerated as the "Greatest Generation in the World", started to die off.
Rex