Did the founding fathers support government mandated charity?

Question

"A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labour the bread which it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities."--Thomas Jefferson

"With respect to the words general welfare, I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers (enumerated in the Constitution) connected with them. To take them in a literal and

unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators." --James Madison

"I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents...." --James Madison

It seems not. And yet liberals believe that they did. Chris Redfern, the Democratic Party Chairman of Ohio, apparently thinks that Americans are so stingy and selfish that the only way charity work gets done is if government taxes the people to make it happen. Redfern honestly believes that freebies and charity work is just as much the proper role of government. Clinton said that the way to solve the income disparity is to raise taxes on the wealthy. He actually said that! Let's solve the income gap by taking the earnings from the most successful. And what do you think the government will do with that money? Pass it out as charity or other government programs. THAT is darned near the very definition of socialism.

What do you think?

Answer 1

I think I need to stop agreeing with republicans before I am completely converted.

Answer 2

Governmental mandated charities are dangerous, I can't imagine living in a society where the government tells where and what charities I can give to.  Government does have a right to regulate the activities of charities however, as we have seen where certain charities are giving money to terrorist organizations.

Answer 3

right-on, well said

Answer 4

Here's a more recent quote;

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

It seems that since that speech, the Democrats have pulled quite the 180 while somehow holding JFK up as their standard bearer.

Answer 5

What has that got to do with Democrats? Republican leadership is responsible for unprecedented government growth, pork spending, driving the nation into debt, and recklessly invading nations for no reason other than its own personal gain.

Answer 6

no the founding fathers were astute businessmen, that only cared about making a profit, you see most Americans at the time did not want to rebel from England, they were bribed into fighting with Keg Parties, ITS THE TRUTH LOOK IT UP! if England had just bribed the Colonists with more Beer we would still be in the Commonwealth