Compared to citizens anywhere else in the world, Americans help their fellows in larger percentages and it doesn't seem to matter to the outcome whether the motivation is based on ought or on desire. The unprecedented generosity is part and parcel of the American political system; a political system that anticipated citizens living with uncertainty. Because America's political structure is not a planned economy where security is offered in exchange for regulation, ordinary Americans often find themselves living on the brink of disaster. This breeds sympathy for one's fellows; a sympathy unparalleled in the history of mankind. Americans make sacrifices, and would do so and did indeed do so without government's mandate. American goodwill is the natural outpouring of sympathy by those who have lived with insecurity and can appreciate its peaks and valleys.