For example, in our not too distant past, welfare needs were typically handled no higher than on a county level, and often at a town level. And frequently, much of the burden was handled through churches and other private charitable groups. That way, there was little or no welfare fraud (because locals knew who had real need – and who didn’t), and most people who received benefits tried to get back on their own as soon as they could. Virtually no one starved, and no one who needed (and wanted) shelter went without it. Today, with so many transfer payments coming out of Washington through faceless bureaucrats, it’s fairly easy to game the system. Indeed, some estimate that 30% to 40% of federal welfare is wasted on fraud. Also, because most transfer payees are not publicly identified, there’s no social pressure (or hurry) to get off the wagon.
Under the US Constitution, the feds are expressly given a limited and specified number of things to deal with, all of which are either beyond the capabilit ...
