John F. Kennedy, 1961:

Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.

Ronald Reagan, 1980:

Are you better off than you were four years ago?

NPR, 2012:

Are You Better Off? That’s The Question As Democrats Gather

Back in the 1980s, we used to ask ourselves whether asking that question meant that we had become self-centered narcissists, caring more about our individual well-being than our country. I guess now that’s a given.

Update 8:40 AM: Krugman with another angle on why it’s a horrible question.