Americans have become so accustomed to Social Security, entitlements, income taxes, politicians and political campaigns that they accept them, defend them and count upon them out of habit, without questioning their validity. The time has come to reassess their effectiveness. Are there positives and negatives for each? Are there better ways to achieve the objectives of each? Are Americans settling for less when they could have more? The answers to each of the previous three questions are yes, yes, and yes.