Why Welfare is Wrong

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.