I have wondered many times why it is possible that so many seemingly intelligent people are fooled by this president. Recently, I found two examples.

I have a bumper sticker on my car that asks, "How is that hope and change working out for you?" Someone commented to me, "Just fine, thanks."

I happened to mention to another person that I went to the big tea party rally in Washington a couple of years ago. He immediately started jumping up and down (literally) shouting, "Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin." I then realized that both of these people spent their careers working for the government, so they will obviously vote for their livelihood.

Adm. Hyman Rickover, the father of the atomic submarine, is reported to have said, "When the number of reviewers (non-producers) exceeds the number of doers, all forward motion ceases."

The percentage of the work force receiving a government paycheck is impossible to determine. Estimates range anywhere from 1.8 percent to 25 percent, depending on one's political persuasion. The percentage quoted by the federal government is 8 percent and is based on 2007 statistics, which are obviously five years out of date.

It is impossible to determine the number of people dependent on the government for handouts. But when the number of voters incentivized to vote for socialist policies exceeds 50 percent, we have reached the tipping point, and all forward motion ceases. We become Greece. Are we there yet?

Chris D. Clayton

Hilton Head Island