Doug Bandow Quote

"The history of the welfare state is the history of public enterprise pushing out private organization. The impact was largely unintentional, but natural and inevitable. Higher taxes left individuals with less money to give; government’s assumption of responsibility for providing welfare shriveled the perceived duty of individuals to respond to their neighbors’ needs; and the availability of public programs gave recipients an alternative to private assistance, one which did not challenge recipients to reform their destructive behavior."

by:	Doug Bandow (1954- ) American columnist, author, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute
Source:	National Service -- or Government Service?, Policy Review, P. 34, September-October, 1996
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Categories:	Welfare, History, Taxation, Government, Responsibility
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.... Give us this day our daily bread, it sure beats working for it.  -- jim k, Austin,Tx
A system rife with abuses. First by the government in creating a system of generational dependants in order to garner their vote and tax the hell out of the rest of us. Second by the recipients who have lost all sense of values and, or morality. Third, it is the fault of all of us for allowing this crap to happen at all. End the Fed, Restore the Republic.  -- J Carlton, Calgary
Absolute principles exposed.  -- Mike, Norwalk
In western civilization the catholic church was "the government and institution" that performed the welfare funciton in the middle ages. In the US the first welfare were the establishment of Indian reservations. Welfare is often tied to a societies penchant or discriminating against, or keeping down a certain element of population. When society becomes a booster for all people rather than an institution of oligarchs, CEO's, and Corporate Boards, who keep people down then welfare can disappear. When Clinton and Repubs ended "welfare as we knew it" it only worked because Clinton insisted that society became a caring and booster oriented society.  -- Waffler, Smith      2
It didn't "work" with Clinton either Waffler. Welfare is a tool of control as you said. The very idea that America was somehow transformed because "Clinton insisted" is absurd. The guy was a liar and no one should look up to him...unless of course your named Monika. ;)  -- J Carlton, Calgary
Obama has increased the federal deficit by more than ALL other presidents combined, since the founding of the Republic. We must oust that Narcissist in 2012!!!  -- Byron, Fort Collins, CO
J when Clinton and the Repub congress radically changed welfare, the adminitration went to the corporate leaders of America and jobs and hiring of former welfare receipients was vast. You cannot or at least should not put people on to reservations or ghettos and expect them to get out, get up and get going. Again society that is best is one that boosts or lifts people up, not one that is based on money for the rich and welfare for the poor. At the end of Clinton's term every one was working. Guess what J, when the poor are working every one is working.  -- Waffler, Smith
Waffler is tripping over the truth but refuses to see it. Of course one cannot expect 'welfare' to get people up and going -- that is the point! Some folks cannot imagine a life that is not created for them by someone else. And remember that the government has nothing to give -- it only takes from one to give to the other, so the point of welfare is to take from the industrious and use it to keep the poor in their place. When you say tax the rich, you mean steal from the rich, and give to the government, to hire the dunces to enslave the rest. It is time for all this to crash -- stop delaying the inevitable.  -- E Archer, NYC
Guess what Waffler, when there is welfare, there is no incentive to work. And saddling companies with useless individuals who's only training is how to collect welfare is a costly burden no company needs. Your whole analogy is nothing more than "rationale". It s NOT the Federal Governments job to carry us through life or make our decisions for us, period.  -- J Carlton, Calgary
Companies saddle themselves with useless individuals all the the time J when they hire their lame brain and hemphiliac and inbred relatives. Hell ain't you never heard of DuPont before? Hate to admit it but Archer is on to a truth also, when the east bloc was liberated from "socialism" many did not know how to proceed, get a job, find a home etcetera. Same with American slaves in the 1800's, the transition from slavery was difficult for many. And yes when generations were born and raised in a welfare state by a majority who oppressed them it took a Bill Clinton not only to end the welfare but also the oppression.  -- Waffler, Smith      1
Waffler, your patrician one-sidedness demonstrates a complete bias of ignorance. The American aboriginal was not completely subdued until they were made socialist slaves on reservations. With the billions spent taking care of the slaves, where's the running water, electricity, etc.? Since the occupying statist theocracy has focused on family and non-white populations — financing poverty/social slavery conditions have deteriorated making more slaves and a richer controlling class. I could go on, and on, and on etc., etc. etc.  -- Mike, Norwalk
Contrary to this misguided notion, private organization is the source of destructiveness. We are a community and in need of responsible social behavior. Private enterprise leads to alienation and the good neighbor policy is never acquired. The social and personal alienation leads the privateer to seek easily influenced "inferior" subjects, not very neighborly. We need a social state. We need a educated state. We need a personal state. We need a character state. Socialism is the vision of social abilities to create.  -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown      2
WHAT BULLPUCKY Mr Sillik, You appear to express communist leanings. America was built on can-do...and what one man can-do can aid in another man to be able-to...and thus it goes on, privately via free exchange. We are headed to where our Founders hoped we would not go. Constant surveillance and the inability to do anything without permission from the 'leaders', who will certainly no longer be by, for, and of, 'the people'. In fact, America's sovereignty could be gone by the time anyone else reads this...and the UN could be in charge...  -- Abby      1

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