We the People . . .promote the general Welfare, . .
The Founding Fathers never conceived of a welfare state. Governors of the time used people, they didn't help them. The framers were individualists and proto-libertarians. They believed in the work ethic, no free lunches, and a day's pay for a day's work.
The goal of promoting the general welfare had nothing to do with handing out cheques each month.
The general welfare meant working towards a better future. It meant improving living conditions, working conditions, and health conditions. It meant extending the education of children to farmer's kids as well as those of landowners.
And today? FEMA - gutted. FDA - a political football. Public schools - underfunded, with curriculums dictated by demogogues. Private schools on the rise. Housing overpriced.
In short, the Founding Fathers would be quite at home in today's America - in many ways, it's like the England they fled from.
1 comment:
You kindly stopped by my blog and left a comment. I am sorry, I feel like a bit of an ass but the book I mentioned is packed away, along with many of my other books, because I did not have room for them all. The offshoot of this is that I just don’t remember the title of the book. This makes me a bit of poop-head and I am sorry. But judging by your posts on your blog you might find Karl Polanyi's The Great Transformation very interesting. It goes well with your recent posts and although he got the end wrong, believing the world would turn from liberalism and neo-liberalism and somehow re-embrace community over the individual and property rights, the information prior to his conclusion is still good. R
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