Do No Harm or Do Good? Should the Government Provide for the People?

When government attempts to provide all social necessities for its people, it usually fails to accomplish this mission and often harms not only the causes it attempts to promote but also the people it tries to serve. Government failures in providing for the people manifest themselves in two ways. First, such attempts promote mediocre results and squash individual initiative among recipients by perpetuating reliance on government handouts. Second, government taxation and operating principles suppress individual responsibility, compassion, and charity among tax-paying citizens. By addressing these failures, a new model can be developed that could begin replacing many government programs in today’s society. This new model, based on religious values and an understanding of human nature, would provide more effective services for the people and would help foster a more Christian nation.

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