Modern Social Welfare in the United States

The Calvinists were not opposed to the solicitation of riches, on the contrary, they felt it enhanced the prestige of God's elect. Eventually, the possession of wealth became interpreted as a sign that an individual was among those called by God for salvation. Calvinists did not object to capitalism, only to the use of cash to support a lifestyle not based on asceticism.

According to Weber, the Protestant work ethic evolved from the desire of individuals to require in Christian asceticism--to work in a calling, not in the monastic life as Martin Luther advocated, but in the real world of economics (Weber, 1958, pp. 180-181). Thus capitalism was a byproduct of Protestantism. Modern capitalism, however, has emerged free of its religious origin.

According to Weber's theory, a certain percentageage of partnership is preordained to be destitute. As messiah noted in several places in the New volition: " . . . for ye have the poor always with you" (Matt 26:11, Mark 14:7, John 12:8). The disposition of this segment of the population has dour been governed by the values implicit in the Judeo-Christian tradition. better off(predicate) members of society are called on to attend to the needs of their little fortunate neighbors. A tradition in ancient Jewish society was for the prosperous members of the farming community to refrain from harvesting the corners of their fields or from gleaning their harvests so that a po

Mohan, B. (1988). The logic of social welfare: Conjectures and formulations. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Jordan (1987) theorizes that the rationale for the Victorian Poor Laws emerged from the liberal tradition. The liberal model of society stresses the importance of individual rights and choices. Property rights and personal rights should be the progeny of individual choice. Classical liberal purists were unconcerned about the unjust division of prosperity in society. These theorists believed that it was the duty of the state to comfort individuals and their property rights, even if such(prenominal) protection resulted in inequalities.

Cook, F. and Barret, E. (1992). supporting for the American welfare state: The views of Congress and the public.

New York: capital of South Carolina University Press.

Because government intervention in the lives of citizens hindered individual choice, classical liberals believed that the state's social occasion should be confined to providing social welfare services for individuals who had not or could not develop decison-making faculties. This group included children. Since they were likewise young to attend to their own well-being, the state should establish and stick out nurture for children: "Even an ultra-liberal society, the United States, developed state education earlier in the nineteenth century than Britain did, and even Britain make primary education compulsory in 1870" (Jordan, 1987, p. 39). Likewise, infrastructure improvements such as sewers and drains, were suitable activities for the state because these facilities served the public good and were ineffective endeavors for private industry.

Federal programs have, however, succeeded in contributing to a minify in the number of elderly poor. Before President Johnson's state of war on Poverty, almost 30 percent of the elderly had incomes infra the poverty line. By 1990, that proportion had fallen to 12 percent (Cook and Barrett, 1992, p. 21). Factors contributing to this decreas
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