This is an old expression, which younger people may not have heard, but “Root, Hog, or Die,” says it very simply. You either work, or you die. As I said in the previous two columns, hundreds of billions have been given to the ’needy,’ over the years, rather than to the ’deserving,’ and by ’deserving,’ it doesn’t have to involve people or humans at all. Deserving, might be a historical society, which restores buildings, railroads, or anything needing restoration, to preserve a special nook of American history. Deserving, could be a symphony orchestra, a museum which preserves priceless artifacts for posterity. Carnegie built libraries by the dozens, and donated 6,000 pipe organs to churches. Carnegie Tech, a great university in Pittsburgh, was founded by Carnegie.
Franklin Roosevelt, is responsible for the beginnings of what has become a robust welfare state. America is now cursed with the welfare state, and it does everything the foundations do, that is help the needy, rather than the deserving, only the welfare state does it hundreds of times the volume, and thousands of time the damage. Social Security, removed the desire and duty to provide for one’s old age, by forcefully taking money out of salaries and incomes, long before retirement, and supposedly storing it in a safe place, so it could be doled out in retirement. Pure socialism, and of course pure habit forming. The Social Security habit and dependency, is so ingrained into our minds and lives, that it could never be repealed or done away with, even though it is bankrupt and has not a dime in its so-called ’trust fund.’
In 1937, also under Roosevelt, the ’Housing act’ was passed, and has spawned multiple bureaucracies, including ’Section Eight,’ which gives free rents to those ’needy,’ who will fill out the forms. Can’t fill it out? There are bureaucrats who will be delighted to help, because typical of a bureaucrat, the more they can sign up, they better their work report will be, even though it is bankrupting America, and fostering millions of worthless people, who regularly copulate and reproduce their kind. “Root Hog or Die,” has been transformed into “Apply, enjoy, and copulate.”
In 1972, the welfare state, decided that there were hungry people who needed to be fed, and the Food Stamp ’program’ was born. Today, 49% of Americans eat with food stamps, which cost $85 billion a year, but this does not include the free breakfasts and lunches for school kids, and even dinners too, if the ’need’ can be proven.
In 1965, the welfare state decided that people got sick, and ’needed’ help to pay the doctor and hospital. This removed all desire and intention to ever care for yourself, because government would do it. Medicare and Medicaid, cost over $800 billion last year, and will surely reach a trillion before long. This does not include the welfare state’s desire to pay for people’s prescriptions! Costs for medical care have erupted to the sky.
People which have all these ’needs,’ also need to communicate, so the welfare state government gives them cell phones with unlimited time, and at no cost. Got to communicate, you know! Then there are the subsidies for heat and electricity for the ’needy,’ plus of course the fact that the (usually unwed) welfare mothers, receive a monthly stipend for every illegitimate child they give birth to, and naturally, there are millions of public housing units in America, most of which not only destroy the neighborhoods they have been built in, but after a couple of decades, they have been vandalized so much, that they are usually demolished, much to the relief of the remaining neighbors, most of which have moved away to get away from the constant crime, trash, and worthless people.
America, thanks to the FDR beginnings, now is virtually a total welfare state, with its citizens getting checks from government, or government paying bills, which, before FDR, people paid themselves, worked to do so, and budgeted to pay them. Since government is paying for prescriptions, rent, medicine, medical care, retirement, etc, guess what has happened to their costs? With government writing the checks, the huge paperwork, plus the theft and corruption that always goes with government programs, has made what used to be a reasonable charge for an item, no longer be reasonable, but exorbitant.
Lost your job? No need to worry, because the American welfare state will pay your salary for 99 weeks. You can go fishing, take a vacation, or just do nothing for 99 weeks. That’s just short of two years of salary, for not working at all. America is full of non-working, unable to think, drug taking, virtually brain dead, dependents, thanks to the welfare state.
I’ve decided to retire December 31st, to do some traveling, and not have to sit at a desk every day, and think of new columns.