SATURDAY, JUNE f> ,	1982
Ruth E. Sullivan (ÛÏAll Must Share the Burden,Û Free for All, May 29] sets up a ridiculous alternative: whether our government is ÛÏresponsible for the health and welfareÛ of all citizens and national defense, or big business and national security. Perhaps she can distinguish between national defense and national security?</br></br>Entirely apart from her choice, however, is her assumption that the government is responsible for either. Who says the U.S. government is supposed to provide health and welfare for its citizens? Sullivan is confusing the promises of political candidates and parties with the intentions of the Founding Fathers.</br></br>U.S. citizens were made a promise: that they would be free to pursue life, liberty and happinessÛÓpresumably including health and welfare. They were never promised that the government would see that they got it!</br></br>Governments are instituted among men, our Founding Fathers cited Rousseau, to accomplish that which citizens individually could not. That defense system, be it trillion-dollar or pennies, that Sullivan so diffidently casts away, is exactly the responsibility of our government. I donÛªt want to be spending a trillion dollars on it either.</br></br>But before 1 invest my time and effort arguing against it. IÛªm going to discharge my responsibility: providing for my own health and welfare. So long as government doesnÛªt put obstacles in my way, it has discharged its responsibility.