‘What do you fear, lady?’ he [Aragorn] asked.  A cage,’ she [Eowyn] said. ‘To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire.’ — The Return of the King

My Take – Eowyn expressed in very few words exactly what those of us who oppose the nanny state feel.  It is so seductive to stop worrying, to let it all go, and let someone else do the hard work.  The cage of dependency is indeed gilded, and its cushions are soft. But it is still a cage.  Every time we compromise and let that cage door swing closed just a tad more, we get used to it just a tad more.  Every step back will require two steps forward just to get back to where we start:  The first will be convincing ourselves and others that it is indeed necessary to repair the damage, and the second will be to actually regain ground.