Government is a necessary evil to safeguard freedom. That is it's sole responsibility. In America we are free to help the needy anyway we see fit. We are a Nation of generous individuals. There are charities much more efficient than government.
To a large degree government welfare assistance is a subsidy to keep capitalism from failing but many are unaware of this fact. In capitalism the "price" for a necessary product/service can not be less than the "cost" of providing the product/service. If it is then eventually capitalism goes bankrupt and fails. Example: If Company A requires a product/service from Company B but pay a price below Company B's costs to provide the product/service the eventually Company B goes out of business, depriving Company A of a necessary product/service and that drives Company A out of business. The only way that Company B can sell the product/service to Company A at a price below cost is if it receives an external subsidy so that it can meet it's expenditure. The unopposed market forces have driven the "price of labor" below the "cost of labor" in many jobs. The "cost of labor" is the minimum mandatory expenditures of the household and many jobs don't provide a "living wage" that will cover these costs. To ensure that the company paying a price below the cost of labor has people it can employ the government has to subsidize the shortfall between the "price" paid for the labor and the "costs" incurred by the employee to provide the labor. Welfare is an indirect government subsidy for the employers that don't provide a living wage to ensure they have a labor force so that capitalism won't fail.
Yes, the US government is subsidizing tens of millions of foreign workers in other countries in this manner and subsidizing mass immigration into the USA to also keep both foreign and domestic labor prices as low as possible. It is now liberals who are furiously demanding perpetually driving the price of labor lower and lower and lower - to the point that nearly 100,000,000 Americans don't even have jobs and most the rest have less spending $$ each year - due to liberals demanding millions and millions more low skilled foreign laborers be brought in the USA and now also demanding open trade borders. As they destroy American labor, they then also demand the government pick up all the slack thru massively ever increasing welfare and safety net programs. American Labor never before in its history faced as great an enemy as the American liberal Democrat.
You can subscribe to such dogma, of course, but you cannot offer a real example of a successful nation that does not, as a matter of public policy, provide assistance to those in need, nor can you cite any actual models of private philanthropy alone being sufficient in that endeavour. We must deal in reality, not ideological fantasy.
I don't view Nations that tax their citizens at rates around 60% as successful. You may prefer the Nanny State....I don't.
Corporate taxes merely are passed on to the consumer. Consumers are duped. Only individuals feel the pain. Government only double dips. Corporations are an easy target for that reason. It's a hidden tax on the People.
Yes, and you would not want to introduce a standard of wage that all Americans can survive on - without needing to take to the gun. I mean! If you do that people won't want to work! They'll just lay about skiving most of the day. It's been very educational talking with you.
Nothing government or anyone else does could ever be "sufficient in that endeavor." Generally, if a poor person wins the lottery with a few short years that person not only is again poor, but now also massively in debt. Just seeing a McDonalds with a line of people on government assistance confirms there is such thing as getting everyone out of poverty. For a fraction of the time and costs, they could have made a healthier meal with a microwave in 5 minutes. You can not get someone who has no sense of money out and driven by laziness of poverty. No matter how much government, charity, anyone gave them, they will still be poor.
I'll leave you to your ideological fantasies, and I'll stick with reality, and acknowledge the formula that has actually worked for the most successful nations on earth.
You can sulk and be as pissy about the poor as you want. All advanced nations redress the plight of those in need. You can not offer a single example of your policy of neglect succeeding anywhere.
While reading this thread about helping the poor I thought of Dickens, Fagan, Oliver Twist and London in the 1800s. We aren't a bronze age tribal society, but a prosperous nation of 300 million. It takes some care an planning to provide for the poor and elderly. .. and private charities also contribute.
Understand, it used to be that "entry level jobs" were not made to survive on. I spent many hours bailing hay, and my friends pumped gas. These jobs gave us pocket change, mad money if you will, but more importantly, they taught us how to work and to be true to our word. It seems that in your world these jobs are gone. Everyone is "entitled".
I receive your diminishing comment and understand you are only subjective. Leftist always seem to end their discussion that way.
Since you cannot honestly confront the reality of all advanced nations redressing the needs of the poor,m nor proffer a single extant example of your preferred ideological fantasy, I can understand your frustration.
Corporations and other wealthy elites shelter their income in foreign tax free accounts. That welfare should have been stopped a long time ago.
If you look at the farm subsidies website they list by state county and political affiliation who gets farm subsidies. I think most people would be surprised.. People like Republican Michelle Bachmann get huge amounts of money NOT to grow one thing or another.
According to the Constitution of the United States it is not (NOT) a responsibility of government to provide a cradle-to-grave Welare State to "the poor". Apart from that, I personally feel that it is right and proper to provide subsistence welfare to those who are not CAPABLE of supporting themselves, because of birth defects, horrible disease, truly disabling injuries and things of those kinds. All claims for such aid should be scrupulously and regularly reviewed to make certain there is no fraud involved. Anybody who is CAPABLE of working should work, period! "Peter" does not (NOT) have a legal license to rob "Paul" just because "Paul" wants to sit on his lazy, slacker-ass, whining and bitching about how hard it is to make a living. To all such parasites the official position should be -- "Got issues? Here's some tissues! Now, go wander on down the road and complain to so somebody else!
If government had only been aware of the lessons learned by you and your friends they would have introduced the plan and made it compulsory for all of its citizens. Perhaps it’s not too late. You can call it “The Cultural Revolution”. It would also be enlightening to know if your father beat you for the purpose of teaching you respect. You could probably incorporate that into your Cultural Revolution once you get the whole population situated on the farms and pumping stations. It should be a grand success!
We could also get every able bodied government teet sucker into the fields picking veggies, or using a shovel working on infrastructure projects.... Like the CCC program did way back when. We could bag a couple of birds with a single stone that way. Cut significantly the number of coveted illegals doing these jobs, & cut the amount of people on the dole. I'm not interested in hearing how educational programs are the answer in this either. Some people excell @ menial labor.
s The government is not a charity. If I remember correctly it even says that in the constitution. If people want to give charity, why do they look to organizations to do it for them? Simply use your eyes throughout the day, you will most certainly run into two or three people that could use the help. This ensures all the money you give, goes to them, and not a penny to the organization. While organizations could be done right, the amount of money they see, is merely temptation.
Then why did our govt. help out Jefferson when he was old and broke? Why did Mrs. Lincoln get a pension, authorized by Congress?
Are you asking why there is corruption within our government? I can answer that. Nobody cares. They can't even see the corruption that took place with the Obama administration. Why would people want to keep up with the truth of what their government is doing, when they could be, "Keeping Up With The Kardashians"?
That is 100% correct. Bachmann is one of the biggest phonies in USA political history. Huge welfare recipient who condemns the poor for getting pennies compared to what she has gotten for FREE all these years.
