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Ken Cuccinelli on Welfare & Poverty
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"General welfare" doesn't include welfare to individuals
Big-Government Advocates--or statists--have argued from time to time that the clause in the Constitution that state. "The Congress shall have Power [to] provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the US" (emphasis added) means that
the federal government is supposed to constantly improvise and grow to solve virtually any problem society encounters. Believers in an unlimited federal government seek to create an ever-expanding welfare state to redistribute wealth from the haves to
the have-nots, and to take care of everyone by creating a cradle-to-grave "nanny state." Many politicians have used this General Welfare Clause as an excuse to grow government, and thus their own power and influence in the process.
Actually, "general welfare" means the general well-being of the country, not welfare to individuals. In both places it's mentioned in the Constitution, it's part of a clause about the government also providing for the common defense of the country.
Source: Last Line of Defense, by Ken Cuccinelli, p. 32-33
, Feb 12, 2013
Charities help with minimal overhead; government can't
I once heard a great illustration of why we shouldn't think of government as a charity: If you won $1 million in the lottery tomorrow and you wanted to use it to help the poor, would you donate it to a charity or give it to the government?
Of course, most people would answer that they'd donate it to charity (I include churches under the general term charity in this section)The next logical question is, Why?
The answer is obvious: because you trust that the charity will get that money to people who really need to help and will accomplish that with minimal overhead cost. Most people don't have that same trust in government.
Then why do we constantly turn to government to solve social problems instead of turning to our charities and churches, which we trust a whole lot more to get the job done, and done more efficiently?
Source: Last Line of Defense, by Ken Cuccinelli, p. 55
, Feb 12, 2013
Page last updated: Nov 28, 2014
