The People Support the Government....

Watching the news lately has been something like watching a three ring circus side show of madness. Just when you think you've seen the greatest feats of financial insanity by our government officials they go and do more of the same or something even worse.

While doing a little studying of American history I came across this little piece of history from the late 1800s that I had never heard before.

In the late 1880s Texas was undergoing one of the worst droughts of its history and the crops in that area had been pretty much destroyed. In response Congress passed drought relief legislation to to give the farmers of the area seed for the next crop but amazingly Grover Cleveland, the President at that time, vetoed it.

How could the President of the United States do such a "cold", "cruel" and "heartless" thing? Here's his answer in his own words:

"I return without my approval House bill No. 10203, entitled "An act to enable the Commissioner of Agriculture to make a special distribution of seeds in the drought-stricken counties of Texas, and making an appropriation therefor."

It is represented that a long-continued and extensive drought has existed in certain portions of the State of Texas, resulting in a failure of crops and consequent distress and destitution......

....And yet I feel obliged to withhold my approval of the plan, as proposed by this bill, to indulge a benevolent and charitable sentiment through the appropriation of public funds for that purpose.

I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution, and I do not believe that the power and duty of the General Government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering which is in no manner properly related to the public service or benefit. A prevalent tendency to disregard the limited mission of this power and duty should, I think, be steadfastly resisted, to the end that the lesson should be constantly enforced that though the people support the Government the Government should not support the people...............

.....The friendliness and charity of our countrymen can always be relied upon to relieve their fellow-citizens in misfortune. This has been repeatedly and quite lately demonstrated. Federal aid in such cases encourages the expectation of paternal care on the part of the Government and weakens the sturdiness of our national character, while it prevents the indulgence among our people of that kindly sentiment and conduct which strengthens the bonds of a common brotherhood.

It is within my personal knowledge that individual aid has to some extent already been extended to the sufferers mentioned in this bill. The failure of the proposed appropriation of $10,000 additional to meet their remaining wants will not necessarily result in continued distress if the emergency is fully made known to the people of the country......."

Did you catch that? The President of the United States of America said that it was not the Governments job to take money from some people and give it to others even if it was for a "good" purpose. He stated that this would be unconstitutional, encourage a welfare mentality and destroy our national character. Cleveland put the burden of helping the American people back on the American were it belonged and the American people gave far more than the Government had planned on.

But now that our national character seems to be as bankrupt as our national government can you imagine the outrage that would ensue if one of our present day government officials showed such wisdom? Can you imagine the fits that would be thrown by those of the welfare mentality of our day if the government refused to step in and hand out money to everybody who got in line?

Cleveland was exactly right; the handing out of money by the government would indeed create a "maternal" dependence on government by the people, but I doubt that he could have ever imagined how far it would go here in America. This is exactly what we are seeing in the news all the time; Catrina's victims demanding government help and money and being filled with rage when it doesn't come on time, irresponsible businessmen lined up to get their hand out from Uncle Sam, company Presidents spending $20,000 to fly private jets to Washington to beg for their share of our grandchildrens tax money. Where will the insanity end?

This is what happens when fallen man governs in his own wisdom without reference to the Word of the God who created Government.