does the government have a responsibility to help the poor coursework

A family is close to the situation, so they know the real need. Dr. Glenn Sunshine The government exists to provide services to citizens. In considering poverty relief, it is important to discuss the responsibilities of the state to the poor. Yes, the Government Should Help the Poor The government should help poor citizens of their community because it is their responsibility to do so. This amounts to a de facto insistence on limited government. Also, the government generally has the most resources to help with recovery and repairs. For reprint permissions, contact info@tifwe.org. In considering poverty relief, it is important to discuss the responsibilities of the state to the poor. All rights reserved. It avoids the slowness and bureaucracy of direct government provision of services, although efficient government units can certainly compete. The U.S. government is already working to address income inequality and poverty. The second key point about governmen… Amenities such as schools and health facilities are very essential in the reduction of poverty hence shorten the gap between the rich and the poor. Social welfare was handled through families, private individuals, benevolent organizations, and churches all the way into the early twentieth century. This results in skyrocketing costs that drive governments to bankruptcy. The principle of subsidiarity thus does not reject governmental involvement in poor relief out of hand, but argues that it should be a last resort after other institutions prove unable to provide solutions. What it does mean is that government, especially the federal government, should not have the central responsibility to care for the needy. What do you think is the role of the state in dealing with poverty? On one side are folks, like me, who feel that a civil, caring society has a moral responsibility to fund anti-poverty programs. The new mentality is “we pay taxes for other people to do that for us.” This is not the biblical view of helping your neighbor. So, while the wealthiest Americans have a larger share of the income pie, they also pay more in taxes. Christianity is unique among the world’s major religions in that it established itself in society without support of the state. The New Deal was the force that changed the biblical and limited role of government to a more hands-on approach to social welfare. Second, dependency on government decreases liberty. These efforts yielded some positive results, but also created a number of serious, negative side effects. 5:8 [NIV] The primary responsibility for helping the poor falls on their own family. Some people believe that the government should be doing more, some believe it should be doing less, and some feel that the current role is about right. A government that believes in the talent and potential of its citizens and devote a large portion of its tax revenues to investing in its citizens to help them reach that potential is an attractive vision. Twitter Consistent with greater Democratic support for government aid for the poor, Democrats also are less likely than Republicans to say that poor people are too dependent on government help. Leave your comments here. In the current survey, about six-in-ten Democrats (63%) agree with the statement “Poor people have become too dependent on government assistance programs.” Those dependent on the government have disincentives to try to find a way out of their situation. The emphasis on work as an essential part of human dignity was a unique contribution of Judaism and Christianity to world culture, but its implications for helping the poor have often been forgotten. (The Conversation) — While the Bible is clear about aiding the poor, it does not provide easy answers about taxing the rich. Public assistance programs: Federal unemployment insurance, Medicare, and federal welfare programs, such as Food Stamps, all help poor and temporarily hard-pressed households make ends meet. Criminal justice: Scholars at Vanderbilt University have estimated that overcriminalization and the … Scripture may assign other roles to the government as its primary function, but it does not forbid government involvement in caring for the poor. Government aid to people who live below the poverty line, not just hand-outs, would be a catalyst to jump-start the economy. It is important, however, not to create situations that force the poor into dependency. The Bible teaches that those who are better off have positive responsibilities to those who are poor. Developed countries may not be bound by law to help poor nations, but they have the responsibility - and the power - to do so. 19:15). Deuteronomy 24:10). Biblical instructions concerning the poor were thus written with the assumption that any aid given to the poor would come directly from members of the community. “What responsibilities does the state have to the poor? Biblical teaching suggests the principle function of the government is to administer justice impartially (Leviticus 19:15). Printed from http://tifwe.org/how-to-be-productive-in-2014/. Scripture is clear that when we are confronted with immediate, emergency needs, we meet them (James 1:27). Even then, the more local the government, the better. Scripture may assign other roles to the government as its primary function, but it does not forbid government involvement in caring for the poor. What responsibilities does the state have to the poor? Responsibility to the poor: a matter of justice, not charity Clear, progressive principles must underpin the development community's handling of state fragility, poverty and inequality They know if their family member is in genuine tro… Here are some of the policies that the government has in place to address income inequality and assist poor households: I saw a public service announcement…. To make ends meet, fathers had to leave their households. When this happens, the truly poor and needy end up worse off than they started. For the Least of These: A Biblical Answer to Poverty. Biblical instructions concerning the poor were thus written with the assumption that any aid given to the poor would come directly from members of the community. Further, government-run welfare is also a disincentive for churches and citizens to get involved in taking care of the poor. We are a nation deeply divided on how best to address poverty. Twitter Paul, in his no-nonsense style, comes directly to the point about helping the poor: "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." That responsibility properly belongs to more local agencies, especially the Church—as we’ll see next week. As Jesus taught, Christians were prepared to “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” – they refused to render to Caesar the things that were God’s (Matthew 22:20-22). The Bible was written in an era in which state-run social welfare programs simply did not exist. Biblical teaching suggests the principal function of the government is to administer justice impartially (Lev. First, it is inefficient and generally ineffective because it requires an ever-expanding bureaucracy to write regulations and administer programs. While individuals can and should help, it has always been the role of government to assist its citizens to accomplish what individuals cannot do alone. The result has been in effect a permanent underclass, locked in a cycle of dependency on government—exactly the opposite of the kind of true aid advocated in Scripture. I have personally had numerous people decline work with me in a business I own because they were afraid of losing government benefits. Federalizing social welfare leads to two other consequences. For example, in the 1960s, my mom taught in inner-city Newark where most of her students were on welfare. Advertisement Alvin … Let’s take this analysis further. © 2020 Institute for Faith, Work & Economics. The wealthy do have a responsibility to help the poor. We are to see to it that their needs are met, and we are to do it in such a way that we preserve their dignity (e.g. Facebook, Upon moving to Virginia after four years in New York City, I understand the difficulty of finding a NYC bagel…, It’s election season in the U.S., and we are hearing a lot about voting. To do things we can’t do alone. The submit button will be disabled until you complete the CAPTCHA. The net result is that the Great Society drove fathers out of their homes, destroying the fabric of many impoverished African-American families. September 23, 2013. There was an emphasis on local solutions rather than the top-down approach of the government. In an effort to prevent cheating the system, welfare laws stipulated that families would receive reduced benefits if the father lived at home because he presumably would be working and thus be ineligible for the program. But there were no jobs. In my last post exploring “who are the poor?”, I discussed biblical definitions of the poor and the rich. The Government’s Biblical Responsibility to Help the Poor In Romans 13:1-6 the Bible clearly demonstrates how Christians should be obedient to the government and that it is God that has put the government in place (and that God directs the heart of the King just like the rivers of water in whatever direction that God wills – Proverbs 21:1). 1 Tim. reCAPTCHA helps prevent automated form spam. The second key point about government is that Jesus is Lord, and Caesar is not. It is the government's responsibility to protect the people. ” From a Biblical perspective, this idea has several advantages: This process was accelerated in the 1960s by the Great Society and the War on Poverty. The Ultimate Issue: Quality of Life. Facebook, “The federal government should not have the central responsibility to care for the needy.” Editor’s Note: Today we continue our series of excerpts from IFWE’s forthcoming book, For the Least of These: A Biblical Answer to Poverty, due to be released in early 2014. There are several biblical and historical underpinnings that can help us answer this question. The responsibility, however, is of a human character. None of this implies that government, even at the federal level, should not be involved in welfare. In this post Dr. Glenn Sunshine continues his discussion of poverty by examining the role of government in addressing poverty relief. Why not? The government is owed with the responsibility of ensuring that its population can be able to access various amenities. What it does mean is that government, especially the federal government, should not have the central responsibility to care for the needy. 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