having no running water. This was also epitomized by a friend of mine who commented, during a discussion of these problems, "Why don't they [those with no incomes] just sell their assets?" The fact that there are many people without any assets seemed to this person unlikely.
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Don't believe that God meant some people to be poor. Some believe that the poor are that way because God meant for them to be, basing their conclusion on, for example, the Biblical lines "The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich" 14 or "For ye have the poor always with you." 15 For those who take these to mean that only God is in charge of who is poor and that God intends us to always have poor people, neither my discussion of why people are poor nor my means to remedy the situation will have any impact.
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Agree that government should play some role in redistributing income. A supportable case can be made for the position that government should not extend beyond providing for the common defense and protecting us from each other. This is a view held by many Libertarians, and is a position on which reasonable people could reasonably disagree. 16 In my own Libertarian period, I held these views. I personally have concluded, however, that government welfare activity is justifiable, in that it protects us from the vagaries of the economic sphere. Government activity in a democracy is essentially the majority of us getting together and agreeing that some things need to be done, and we are willing to help see that they get done (by paying taxes). 17 Those who are open to that view will have an interest in my arguments about the types of government programs we need to deal with the problems of poverty.
•
Believe we can make changes without making matters worse. Another of my friends (yes, I still have friends, in spite of my unconventional views) rejected my proposal almost before hearing it. His position was that any attempts to bring change will result in a worsened situation. Of course, it should be noted that this friend is doing quite well under the system that currently exists. Nonetheless, if you are among those who believe that "This is the way we do it and, therefore, this must be the way we should keep on doing it," then none of my arguments proposing change will matter to you. A related concern that additional laws make it harder to enforce the already saturated statutes certainly has merit. However, my proposal will eliminate many more laws than it introduces.
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Agree that "survival of the fittest" should no longer be the law of the land. A reasonable case can be made that, since society progresses through adaptation of the species, any programs which aid the weaker among us only slow that progress. If we conclude that those in poverty are less well adapted to participate in our economic system, then, so the argument would go, we should not institute programs which enhance their survival chances. Since I hope not too
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Publication Information: Book Title: ...And Economic Justice for All: Welfare Reform for the 21st Century. Contributors: Michael L. Murray - author. Publisher: M.E. Sharpe. Place of Publication: Armonk, NY. Publication Year: 1997. Page Number: 7.
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