What No One Else Will Say on Expanding ARKids First

"Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism" - Thomas Jefferson.
********************************************
During the presidency of Grover Cleveland, he had the opportunity to provide federal financial aid to a deserving orphanage in New York City during a severe economic crisis. This was his response:

"I will not be a party to stealing money from one group of citizens to give to another group of citizens, no matter what the need or apparent justification. Once the coffers of the federal government are open to the public, there will be no shutting them again... It is the responsibility of the citizens to support their government. It is not the responsibility of the government to support its citizens."

And that was a DEMOCRAT President.

********************************************

The people of this nation have become corrupted since Cleveland's time. A man that noble could not get elected in this day and age, when the average voter thinks that the role of government is to "provide for their needs" rather than protect their God-given rights. Because the people have become corrupted, those who would desire to lead them must act corruptly as well. They must go along with using government, that is to say force, to take the earnings of some citizens in order to give those earnings to other citizens to whom it does not belong.

The pre-1865 Democrats had a huge blind spot. They really believed that they had a right to force a narrow group of people to work their fields. Today's Democrats are blind completely. They believe they have a right to force other people to work to provide them health care, education, "affordable housing" ect...

If the Republicans feel any differently, they apparently lack the courage to plainly say so. This article on the expansion of ARKids First tells a tale of universal approval. Perhaps the Republican legislators know that they would be voted from office if they attempted to tell people the truth- its not a "right" if the government has to tax somebody else in order for you to do it. And increasingly who we are taxing are the children themselves. Politicians have turned to debt to finance their wild promises, taking the credit for themselves, but leaving the burden of payment to the next generation. This tactic is as immoral as it is ubiquitous.

There comes a point where an economy simply cannot afford any more government programs, no matter how worthy. We are long past that point, but fiscal trickery has created the illusion that we can get away with it just a little longer. The 2x4 of reality is about to thump the American people up the side of the head. We just can't afford any more government, it doesn't matter if you think its a good idea or not.

If an expansion of ARKids is such a great idea, let it come at the expense of less worthy government spending, not the pockets of taxpayers present or future. Governor Mike Beebe's expansion of this welfare program- and that is what it is even if the recipients throw in a small co-pay- comes mostly from Federal Funds. Where are they getting the money? They are either going to borrow it or inflate it. The former is stealing from the next generation, the latter is stealing value from every dollar that will be earned or saved.

The lesser part of the financing comes from a tax on smokers. That is already a declining revenue stream and by this time next year modern science might develop a pill that will allow them all to kick the habit. Or taxes might get so high that there will be a huge black market for tobacco products. That is one of the unintended consequences of piling the taxes on one narrow product. Then we have to spend more on law enforcement since state policy is incentivizing a whole new group of "criminals". At any rate you can expect the revenue stream for the program to erode, but the costs of the program to escalate beyond projections.

Expanding welfare programs to people making $50,000 a year at a time when the economy is collapsing is madness. We can't afford the government we have now. As soon as the foreigners quit loaning us money this whole thing is going to go up in smoke. Why are we trying to push MORE people into a program that any reasonable person can see is heading for a crisis? When it fails, the people hurt the most will be those who were lured into it the deepest.