Welfare

There is nothing in the United States Constitution allowing Congress to provide welfare. Article I §8 gives Congress power “To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;” but the words, “to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States;” is a limitation on the power to tax. Consider President James Madison’s veto of a bill to fund public works:

     To refer the power in question to the clause "to provide for common defense and general welfare" would be contrary to the established and consistent rules of interpretation, as rendering the special and careful enumeration of powers which follow the clause nugatory and improper. Such a view of the Constitution would have the effect of giving to Congress a general power of legislation instead of the defined and limited one hitherto understood to belong to them, the terms "common defense and general welfare" embracing every object and act within the purview of a legislative trust.

     — James Madison, 3 March 1817
     http://www.constitution.org/jm/18170303_veto.htm

     Many an anti-war protester, marching in the streets of Washington, D.C., has been offered along the route, newspapers ranging from pro-labor union to Communist Party.

     Been there. Smoked that. Read those. Then I got a job.

     Leftist propaganda extols the virtues of Marxism and Socialism while denouncing the evils of capitalism, but the truth is, they are talking about corrupt, crony capitalism, where bureaucrats, backed by gun-toting goons in bulletproof vests, pick winners and losers.

     There is a common rationalization for welfare. The rich got rich because they got picked by the bureaucrats for alcohol licenses, bail-outs, banking licenses, broadcasting licenses, casino licenses, defense contracts, all the way down the alphabet to taxi medallions and zoning variances. Since they got picked any you didn’t, you might figure that they must be forced to share their ill-gotten gains with you. Here is a better idea: Remove the unjust laws that are the basis of these manipulations of the economy. The New York City taxi medallions did not get confiscated, but Uber moved in without medallions and offered consumers an alternative. Abolish zoning restrictions and immediately there will be an abundance of jobs in demolition and construction, and landlords will scramble to find tenants willing to pay half of today’s rents.

     Residents of mansions would look out their windows to see mobile homes owned by working-class people. Poor things, they will have to live in a free country, with liberty and justice for all, where they cannot use gun-toting goons in bulletproof vests to enforce snob zoning restrictions. How can life get any worse?

     Always look for ways to repeal poverty instead of adding more bureaucracy. This will also eliminate a lot of corruption by downsizing the government.

      Most of your problems are imposed on you by the government. You will feel better when you are allowed to provide for yourself and your family instead of depending on the enemy government.

HOME PAGE