I remember a text book on economics explaining the rise of the welfare state
in the United States as beginning in the depression era. This certainly does
seem to be the case if you study the levels of government spending since then.
For the first 150 years of our country, government spending was very frugal. A
marked departure from that frugality begins with the FDR welfare state and
government spending has taken off since then. Perhaps "taken off" is
too mild of a description, it’s more like "overwhelmed the US
economy."
Besides wrecking the economy, public welfare is just wrong. It is morally
wrong for the government to take money from people and redistribute it to those
who they say are in need (i.e. more likely to vote for them). Having said that I
want to emphasize that I am not against charity. Just the opposite, I believe it
is the duty of every man to help out his fellow man as he is able but I am very
much opposed to public welfare.
Let me put it on the very personal level. If some poor fellow comes up to me
in the street and asks me for some help feeding his family and getting medical
help for Tiny Tim (who is a cripple), perhaps I will be moved with compassion
and want to help. I would then reach into my pocket and see if I have anything
there that would help. But maybe he needs a friend or a teacher and I could be
that person to make a difference in his life. Maybe my efforts to restore this
guy who is down on his luck could change both our lives. But the least I could
do is give him a few bucks. But let’s say I don’t have the means or interest
in helping out this guy. Is it okay for me to go to you, beat a few dollars out
of you and give it to him? No, it’s not. That is theft. Perhaps a
well-intentioned theft but theft nonetheless.
In a welfare state, the government plays the role of the guy who beats the
money out of you and gives it to the beggar. And that’s about all he does for
the beggar.
Public welfare is mostly a mean of re-distributing wealth and only provides a
check, not the support, mentoring, friendship and respect that might also be
needed as badly. It also does nothing for the giver.
This discussion is usually included in the broader category of the proper
role of government. The government takes money from us for a lot of reasons,
generally for promoting the welfare of the people, so why is this different?
Glad you asked!
In the U.S., the government is supposed to derive its powers from the people.
At least, that was the way it was originally set up. How does this work? Let’s
consider the right to self defense. Most people would consider it reasonable for
a man to defend his life and property. It’s something we almost all need to do
and so it’s reasonable that we hand out that responsibility to the police and
military. The important thing is that we have that right as an individual and we
grant it to the government. The government is not doing anything we’re not
allowed to do individually. If we are poor and in need, do we have the right to
rob our neighbour? Then the government shouldn’t do it on our behalf.
And that, my friends, is why welfare is wrong.
