General Welfare
The phrase “general welfare” typically has reference to one of two things. Most commonly it refers to the General Welfare references found in both the preamble and Taxing and Spending Clause of the United States Constitution. Also, depending on your welfare definition, the phrase general welfare can also refer to the various welfare benefits and programs provided by both private companies (this is considered to be welfare capitalism more than a general type of welfare) and local, state and federal governments. Examples of programs that fall under this second type of program include the unemployment benefits, WIC, TANF, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, AFDC and Medicaid programs. Both aspects of general welfare are discussed below.
The United States Constitution
Although the phrase “general welfare” is mentioned twice in the United States Constitution only the language found in the Taxing and Spending Clause is generally considered to be the General Welfare Clause. Although people sometimes differ on the meaning of this clause, Thomas Jefferson once offered a great definition and explanation of what the purpose of the clause is. He stated that the power of the government lies in their ability to tax and that the purpose in giving a taxing ability is to allow the government to discharge its duty to preside over the general welfare of its citizens. He warned that the government should not use the taxing power for any purpose they wanted but that it should only be used to increase the benefits and welfare of its citizens everywhere.
The United States Supreme Court has also examined the constitutional General Welfare Clause as well. The Court concluded that this clause allows the government to pay debts and watch over the common defense of the country. The Court further warned that the federal government is not allowed to levy taxes for issues and purposes which are solely under the control of the individual States.
Welfare Programs
The second main definition of general welfare is the offering of both private companies and governments of various welfare-like benefits. For private companies, this type of welfare is typically called “welfare capitalism”. It involves companies providing perks and benefits it is not required to offer, such as health care, retirement plans and contributions to retirement plans. Welfare programs offered through the government are quite different from welfare capitalism programs. These programs offer up food, clothing and shelter in various forms to individuals, families and households that the government believes deserves these benefits. As stated above, the unemployment benefits, WIC, TANF, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, AFDC and Food Stamp programs are all good examples of this.
The qualifications, rules and regulations surrounding these types of programs varies from time to time as Congress or individual State legislatures modify different laws. For example, unemployment benefit and unemployment benefit extension laws have been modified through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and recent legislation stemming from the debate over whether to raise the debt ceiling of the United States that took place throughout the summer of 2011.
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