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Surrounded by Democratic House and Senate Committee Chairs, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sign the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill during a bill enrollment ceremony on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on March 10, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The U.S. Government Should Promote the General Welfare
After years of Republican governance or obstructionism, it's refreshing when the U.S. government actually lives up to its promise of promoting the welfare of the entire society, rather than a privileged few.
Mar 15, 2021
An event revealing a great deal about the kind of government Americans want occurred this March, when members of the U.S. Congress voted on the American Rescue Plan. This legislation, staunchly supported by the Democrats, provided federal funding for the provision of life-saving vaccines, the re-opening of public schools, expanded benefits to the unemployed, a direct payment to millions of hard-pressed Americans, the lifting of millions of children out of poverty, and other vital public programs.
And what was the response of Congressional Republicans to this legislation, passed amid the worst disease pandemic for a century and the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression? Every one of them voted to kill the measure. Almost immediately after the legislation was unveiled, Senator Pat Toomey, a top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, denounced it as "a colossal waste." According to Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, "this bill is too costly, too corrupt, and too liberal." Apparently, spending money to support the welfare of Americans is an extravagance--and not an appropriate function for the U.S. government.
Perhaps the time has come for Republican politicians to withdraw from the public sector they so despise and go back to enriching themselves in the private sector, leaving the governing of the United States to people who are willing to promote the general welfare.
By contrast, the Constitution of the United States declares clearly, in its Preamble, that a key purpose of the U.S. government is to "promote the general welfare." Furthermore, promoting the general welfare is the usual reason that people around the world support some sort of governing authority. After all, if a government doesn't promote the welfare of its people, what good is it?
Although there have been plenty of governments that have not promoted the general welfare, these usually turn out to be quite unpopular. Some, like monarchies or other forms of dynasty, promote the interests of a powerful family. Others, such as oligarchies, promote the interests of a wealthy class. Still others, like theocracies, promote the interests of a particular religion. Finally, some, like Communist dictatorships, though professing to support the working class, promote the interests of a ruling political party.
It could be argued that the Republican Party, with its lurch rightward in recent decades, has been adopting aspects of all these approaches. It certainly hasn't been promoting the general welfare.
For this reason, after years of Republican governance or obstructionism, it's refreshing when the U.S. government actually lives up to its promise of promoting the welfare of the entire society, rather than a privileged few. Americans seem to agree, for polls have found that the American Rescue Plan is supported by 69 percent of respondents, with only 24 percent opposed. Moreover, opinion polls also report strong public support for massive U.S. government investments in job growth and economic recovery.
From the standpoint of the Republican Party, the popularity of programs that promote the general welfare represents the latest in a string of bad news. As the GOP has continued its long march to the Right, it has been losing its attractiveness to voters, and has only managed to cling to disproportionate influence in Congress thanks to gerrymandering, the apportionment of Senate seats without regard to population, voter suppression, the filibuster, and other undemocratic means. The popular vote for President provides a better gauge of public support, with the Democratic candidate outpolling the Republican candidate in seven out of the last eight elections.
Perhaps the time has come for Republican politicians to withdraw from the public sector they so despise and go back to enriching themselves in the private sector, leaving the governing of the United States to people who are willing to promote the general welfare.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Lawrence Wittner
Dr. Lawrence S. Wittner is Professor of History Emeritus at SUNY/Albany who has written extensively on peace movements, foreign policy, and economic inequality. He is the author of "Confronting the Bomb: A Short History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement" (2009).
An event revealing a great deal about the kind of government Americans want occurred this March, when members of the U.S. Congress voted on the American Rescue Plan. This legislation, staunchly supported by the Democrats, provided federal funding for the provision of life-saving vaccines, the re-opening of public schools, expanded benefits to the unemployed, a direct payment to millions of hard-pressed Americans, the lifting of millions of children out of poverty, and other vital public programs.
And what was the response of Congressional Republicans to this legislation, passed amid the worst disease pandemic for a century and the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression? Every one of them voted to kill the measure. Almost immediately after the legislation was unveiled, Senator Pat Toomey, a top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, denounced it as "a colossal waste." According to Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, "this bill is too costly, too corrupt, and too liberal." Apparently, spending money to support the welfare of Americans is an extravagance--and not an appropriate function for the U.S. government.
Perhaps the time has come for Republican politicians to withdraw from the public sector they so despise and go back to enriching themselves in the private sector, leaving the governing of the United States to people who are willing to promote the general welfare.
By contrast, the Constitution of the United States declares clearly, in its Preamble, that a key purpose of the U.S. government is to "promote the general welfare." Furthermore, promoting the general welfare is the usual reason that people around the world support some sort of governing authority. After all, if a government doesn't promote the welfare of its people, what good is it?
Although there have been plenty of governments that have not promoted the general welfare, these usually turn out to be quite unpopular. Some, like monarchies or other forms of dynasty, promote the interests of a powerful family. Others, such as oligarchies, promote the interests of a wealthy class. Still others, like theocracies, promote the interests of a particular religion. Finally, some, like Communist dictatorships, though professing to support the working class, promote the interests of a ruling political party.
It could be argued that the Republican Party, with its lurch rightward in recent decades, has been adopting aspects of all these approaches. It certainly hasn't been promoting the general welfare.
For this reason, after years of Republican governance or obstructionism, it's refreshing when the U.S. government actually lives up to its promise of promoting the welfare of the entire society, rather than a privileged few. Americans seem to agree, for polls have found that the American Rescue Plan is supported by 69 percent of respondents, with only 24 percent opposed. Moreover, opinion polls also report strong public support for massive U.S. government investments in job growth and economic recovery.
From the standpoint of the Republican Party, the popularity of programs that promote the general welfare represents the latest in a string of bad news. As the GOP has continued its long march to the Right, it has been losing its attractiveness to voters, and has only managed to cling to disproportionate influence in Congress thanks to gerrymandering, the apportionment of Senate seats without regard to population, voter suppression, the filibuster, and other undemocratic means. The popular vote for President provides a better gauge of public support, with the Democratic candidate outpolling the Republican candidate in seven out of the last eight elections.
Perhaps the time has come for Republican politicians to withdraw from the public sector they so despise and go back to enriching themselves in the private sector, leaving the governing of the United States to people who are willing to promote the general welfare.
Lawrence Wittner
Dr. Lawrence S. Wittner is Professor of History Emeritus at SUNY/Albany who has written extensively on peace movements, foreign policy, and economic inequality. He is the author of "Confronting the Bomb: A Short History of the World Nuclear Disarmament Movement" (2009).
An event revealing a great deal about the kind of government Americans want occurred this March, when members of the U.S. Congress voted on the American Rescue Plan. This legislation, staunchly supported by the Democrats, provided federal funding for the provision of life-saving vaccines, the re-opening of public schools, expanded benefits to the unemployed, a direct payment to millions of hard-pressed Americans, the lifting of millions of children out of poverty, and other vital public programs.
And what was the response of Congressional Republicans to this legislation, passed amid the worst disease pandemic for a century and the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression? Every one of them voted to kill the measure. Almost immediately after the legislation was unveiled, Senator Pat Toomey, a top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, denounced it as "a colossal waste." According to Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, "this bill is too costly, too corrupt, and too liberal." Apparently, spending money to support the welfare of Americans is an extravagance--and not an appropriate function for the U.S. government.
Perhaps the time has come for Republican politicians to withdraw from the public sector they so despise and go back to enriching themselves in the private sector, leaving the governing of the United States to people who are willing to promote the general welfare.
By contrast, the Constitution of the United States declares clearly, in its Preamble, that a key purpose of the U.S. government is to "promote the general welfare." Furthermore, promoting the general welfare is the usual reason that people around the world support some sort of governing authority. After all, if a government doesn't promote the welfare of its people, what good is it?
Although there have been plenty of governments that have not promoted the general welfare, these usually turn out to be quite unpopular. Some, like monarchies or other forms of dynasty, promote the interests of a powerful family. Others, such as oligarchies, promote the interests of a wealthy class. Still others, like theocracies, promote the interests of a particular religion. Finally, some, like Communist dictatorships, though professing to support the working class, promote the interests of a ruling political party.
It could be argued that the Republican Party, with its lurch rightward in recent decades, has been adopting aspects of all these approaches. It certainly hasn't been promoting the general welfare.
For this reason, after years of Republican governance or obstructionism, it's refreshing when the U.S. government actually lives up to its promise of promoting the welfare of the entire society, rather than a privileged few. Americans seem to agree, for polls have found that the American Rescue Plan is supported by 69 percent of respondents, with only 24 percent opposed. Moreover, opinion polls also report strong public support for massive U.S. government investments in job growth and economic recovery.
From the standpoint of the Republican Party, the popularity of programs that promote the general welfare represents the latest in a string of bad news. As the GOP has continued its long march to the Right, it has been losing its attractiveness to voters, and has only managed to cling to disproportionate influence in Congress thanks to gerrymandering, the apportionment of Senate seats without regard to population, voter suppression, the filibuster, and other undemocratic means. The popular vote for President provides a better gauge of public support, with the Democratic candidate outpolling the Republican candidate in seven out of the last eight elections.
Perhaps the time has come for Republican politicians to withdraw from the public sector they so despise and go back to enriching themselves in the private sector, leaving the governing of the United States to people who are willing to promote the general welfare.
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