It’s a political drama that teaches some valuable lessons, but the federal debt-limit debate also highlights a disturbing fact: Too many Americans rely on government handouts.

As former New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu notes in a new TIME column: “The dirty little secret about America is that being on the dole is no longer the exception but the rule.”

Why is this bad?

Federal largesse touches just about everyone and changes the behavior of just about everyone it touches. The first casualty is resolve. Easy spending drains our political class of its ability to say no. Funding for job training? It sounds great. Now we have over two dozen different programs that are redundant, poorly targeted and uncoordinated. Pushing for more spending is also the easiest way to show that you’re getting something done. Call it pandering, playing to the press or just good politics — it’s something that elected officials find tough, and sometimes impossible, to resist.

Recipients’ behavior changes over time as well. Whether or not they would ever have proposed particular programs, beneficiaries soon become comfortable with the status quo. No one ever stands up to say “No, thank you” or “I don’t deserve this.” Mohair producers, ethanol blenders and wealthy Social Security recipients might fail the laugh test, but they can chuckle all the way to the bank. Their checks are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.