It is also useful to note that the founders said things like "We should all hang together or we'll all hang separately" and "Join or die."
The whole "rugged individualism" thing, like anything good, can be taken too far. And it's often spouted by people who rely on gas stations to get them to their air conditioned office where they take an electricity-powered elevator...
You see my point. We are interconnected whether we like it or not. I am vehemently opposed to Obama's social-collectivism, but it's time to drop the fantasies and reconnect with reality. A sober assessment of where we are followed by evaluating our circumstances against founding principles is a good start. If you have time to read a novel as well, great.
It goes without saying.
But right now, at this point in our history, we are being suffocated by the nanny state. We are becoming a nation of wimps and crybabies. We need to stop whining and take a big dose of "suck it up" rugged individualism.