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Current Events » in reply to If charity worked so well, why has the government had to get involved?

A change in mindset
Larry J — (archived)

Private charity has existed for a long time. I believe the growth in government over charity can be traced back to the Great Depression. The sheer number of unemployed strained charities to the breaking point, and while few people were actually starving, malnutrition and poverty was widespread.

When FDR took office, he unleased a host of new government programs to help the needy. The fact that none of these programs ended the Depression was beside the point - he gave the impression that it was the government's responsibility to take care of the needy. He also demonized "the rich" in playing the class warfare game to his political benefit. Very quickly, many people came to agree. Like many of the other programs passed during the Depression, that mindset still lingers.

While, as you point out, much of charity has been administered by religious organizations, show me the time and place where church contibutions were mandatory since we became a country. Perhaps there was a time when tithing was mandatory, but that was a long time ago. Here in the US, if someone chooses not to donate to a church, nothing will happen to them. If someone chooses not to pay taxes, they go to jail. Big difference.

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