1Declaration: Free Markets, Free People, Free Minds

Libertarian Presidential hopeful Bob Barr issued a press release today stating that if left alone Americans will solve social problems better than government can. The best way for government to solve social problems is by getting out of the way, cutting spending, and cutting taxes.

This is an idea I have always supported. When government gets entrained in the business of providing welfare governmental power increases and erodes individual liberties and the effectiveness of the private sector of providing more cost effective solutions. Government should remain neutral to all groups providing a fair and reasonable form of governance. Providing social welfare to one group at the cost of another group through higher taxation does not retain the neutrality government should foster in order to preserve the idea that "all men are created equal." Governmental biases favor the erosion individual choice and Liberty.

One of America’s great strengths has always been the willingness of Americans to organize to solve social problems,” notes Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate for president. The great French classical liberal Alexis de Tocqueville commented on American social activism nearly two centuries ago in his classic Democracy in America. “We see this same commitment today, with the news that Americans donated more than $300 billion to charity last year, a record level, despite increased economic uncertainty,” Barr observes.

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Barr adds, “Unfortunately, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama remain mired in a government spending mindset. Indeed, the major parties have even worked to hook private agencies on public funds.” President George W. Bush initiated the so-called faith-based initiative, supported by Sen. McCain, to provide increased grants to religious organizations. Sen. Obama also has endorsed this approach.

Instead of expanding government social spending, “Washington should encourage Americans to take on greater responsibility in meeting charitable needs.” First, taxes should be cut. “This year Americans will spend almost four months working just to pay for government,” observe Barr. “That leaves far too little for the famous little platoons which do so much to improve American society.”

Second, “we should consider creating a special tax credit for charitable giving, to provide Americans with a dollar-for-dollar tax reduction for money contributed to social services. We could then deduct an equivalent amount from the federal welfare budget. This would enable Americans to shift welfare from the public to the private sectors,” says Barr. It would also avoid the inevitable politicization that accompanies government grant-making.

“Private charity is a better mechanism for helping people because it is more flexible and cost-effective, and is able to speak to more than financial needs—it can help meet the many often complicated problems faced by people and their families,” he explains. Government by its nature must be rule-bound and bureaucratic. But “neighbors helping neighbors at the local level is the way Americans traditionally aided those around them in meeting difficult family circumstances and other social needs.”