Here in recession recovery-plagued America, we're so discombobulated we don't know up from down or right from wrong. Are we hypocrites? Schizophrenics? Or just victims of Stockholm Syndrome? On the one hand, we have no faith in our government:

Over the [2009-2010] period, the share of Americans who say they have confidence in the national government fell 0.4 percentage point to 46.7%. That compares with an average rise of one percentage point among 65 countries.

On the other hand, we can't get enough of that sweet, sweet government money:

Even as the economy has recovered, social welfare benefits make up 35 percent of wages and salaries this year, up from 21 percent in 2000 and 10 percent in 1960.

And even when unemployment does decline, it will be more than balanced out by the number of Baby Boomers retiring and picking up their Social Security, so we, as a society, are bound to be heavily government-dependent for many years to come.

We'll take your dirty money, but we won't like it.

[Photo: AP]