Regarding this generation. I agree with you both, HP and Vick. Look at the newbie webmasters of the past few years; all they want to be is spoon-fed. That is indicitive of this generation.
As to how others see us. You can gripe all you want Vick whether they are seeing us in a true light or their light or whatever. Fact of the matter is, that's how they see us. And while I can respect the 'tude of "screw em, they see us wrong" ... fact of the matter is, everything is perception. If your company is great but there's a perception there's something wrong or crooked, real or unreal, the company will probably go under. With us the remaining "super power", we can't be (hell, no nation can be in this age) isolationist, so how we're perceived is major thing.
That and, I think, many of their perceptions are sadly true.
As to the big or small goverment thing. Katrina has plainly showed that major catastrophes of this scale over several states can NOT be adequately taken care of by the states alone. It can't be taken care of -- we've seen -- by states in conjunction with a weakened federal system (FEMA) either.
So overall government bigger or smaller? Won't go into that. But
that department and a few others need to have major powers, some beefing up, and headed by people who know disaster relief -- as opposed to contract lawyers who've (badly) run horse pageants as their "qualifications".
And we have better get used to it. Global warming has increased the Gulf of Mexico by several degrees and rising. It's also increased sea level. Believe it or not those seemingly minute changes means more hurricanes of stronger force for the far foreseeable future. We better get our act together before the Katrina scenario becomes reptetive.
Want to hear more fun news? Turns out a Class 2 hurriance hitting NYC is equal to a Class 5 hitting New Orleans, several scientists said recently. Has to do with the combination of the land under the waves therer,the large bay, the width of the Hudson, Manhatten being an island, and that the skyscrapers intensify wind force.