A Question for Liberals: Helping the Poor

Home

Politics

I have a question for liberals. Yes, I'm far right myself, but I don't mean this to be a rhetorical or sarcastic question. If you're a liberal reading this, I'm sincerely interested in hearing your answer.

So here's the question:

1. You believe that our government is not doing enough to help the poor, right?
2. Do you believe that most Americans agree with you about this?
3. If your answer to question 2 is "no", then isn't your position fundamentally anti-Democratic? You are saying that you want the government to force policies on the people that the majority oppose. Surely you will concede that these programs cost money, so not only will these policies be forced on the people, but then the people will be taxed to pay for them.
4. If your answer to question 2 is "yes", then isn't your position grossly inefficient? If the majority of Americans believe that more should be done to help the poor, why go to all the effort and expense of a political aproach? You must run candidates for office, fight opposition candidates, re-group after defeats, and even after victories you have to then craft legislation, navigate it through the whole legislative process, and then when it's finally passed, somehow make it work despite the bureaucracy, opposition from special interests, and so on. Wouldn't it be far more efficient to just have all your people donate the money directly to the Red Cross or the Salvation Army or whomever? Even if only 51% of Americans agreed with you, surely you could get more done by having that 51% each give $100 to a worthy charity than by fighting for legislation to increase taxes by $100 and spend the money on the poor.
5. If you answer "yes" but then reply that voluntary contributions won't work because, yes, the majority agree, but the rich refuse to pay their fair share, aren't you being divisive? You're deliberately dividing society into classes and setting them against each other. Besides, no matter how much you distrust "the rich", surely you would concede that some number of them acquired their wealth fairly and honestly. If you use the power of the government to separate honest people from their money to pay for your pet project, no matter how worthy, isn't that just legalized theft?

I ask this question sincerely because I really wonder what the average liberal thinks about this.