As we view the world through an economic lens, we might notice that the seemingly civilized, modern and stable societies of the Western world are, in reality, much like a dead tree: hollow and fragile.
A sickness has overtaken government budgets, social norms and even the culture of the population, an overlooked commonality in the acceptable and expected products of the social hierarchy that we call the government.
The belief is that, in order to collectively prosper and effectively take care of the sick and the poor, it is necessary to maintain a system of coerced charity. Government welfare is the infection and is a major culprit for the dire economic and social strains that are leading to the downfall of Western civilization.
Greece is the most recent example of an economy structured on the unstable and detrimental ticking time bomb of public debt. Its massive public debt amounted to 165 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Are other countries bound to join them? Italy's debt amounts to 120 percent of its GDP. France is at 83 percent, and the UK is at 79 percent. The United States has a public debt of 69.4 percent.
Why are all of these countries borrowing so much money?
And what is at the top of these countries’ expenditure lists?
The arguments for the creation and current funding for these programs rest on the premise that the "poor" and "vulnerable" in society are left out and exploited by the market economy. This is a mainstream economic myth. As a product of individual and economic liberty, the Industrial Revolution brought about the biggest increase in standards of living for the whole world.
Average salaries, purchasing power and income mobility serve as evidence that illustrate how the free market economy takes the poor and vulnerable and makes them wealthy and independent. The "poor" in America have a prodigiously higher standard of living than people in most of the world.
Selfishness is deemed as the abominable human characteristic that limits a society to help those in need. Most of the claims that favor government welfare programs point to this as the fundamental reason and need for coerced charity. If the government doesn't do it, who will?
I believe we can find the answer in the World Giving Index, a study published by the Charities Aid Foundation. The study showed that in the past year, 65 percent of Americans gave money to nonprofit organizations, 43 percent volunteered their time to an organization and 73 percent helped a stranger or someone they didn't know. The GivingUSA Foundation found that voluntary and charitable giving amounted to $290.89 billion in 2010.
We are all selfish. In fact, you will find that every action we take is in our self-interest. If people were not selfish, they would not want to live in a better world. As we have seen in the past and are seeing today, a coercive force that regulates our actions to become more generous will only grow in power and waste. Morally and practically “forced giving” does not work.
Only a free people, without a welfare state, can eminently prosper economically and live free from the despotic force of those who seek power.
Reach the columnist at calfaro2@asu.edu
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