Perkins and Roosevelt discuss the “American experiment” during a train trip. They both believe “our country was founded for a purpose and with a mission: to provide for liberty and the general welfare.” What do you think of this statement? Do you agree with it?
I do agree that government should be about helping and protecting all the citizens of the country. It should be more for the “general welfare” versus individual priorities. Unfortunately, our country is no longer providing help and protection to everyone.
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Yes, I do agree with that statement. However, I do not think that everyone who holds power in our country does support that mission. That theory has been supported by some administrations and decried as socialism by others. It is not a given that even those who believe that was the founding purpose of our nation want it to stay that way. That is not the belief in an oligarchy for example,.
The Founding Fathers talked about providing for the common defense and ensuring the general welfare. They named some specific prerogatives of the federal government. I believe Social Security certainly fell within these boundaries; but I also believe that administrations after Roosevelt have veered further and further away from the original perogatives and have gotten mired down in too many things that are not their responsibility nor even their business.
We must consider the time period and context of our Founding Fathers. In this early time of our country there were exclusions to “provide for liberty and the general welfare.” Liberty for indigenous people? slaves? women? children? indentured servants? The phrase is of great value to our country, but how it is interpreted has changed over the many years. I do love our country. I’ve traveled abroad a lot and always appreciated coming home. The winds of change will continue to include and exclude those for whom liberty and the general welfare is provided and protected and for whom it is no longer guaranteed.
I absolutely agree. We used to be the nation that was looked up to. A nation that helped bring about peace in challenging time. Now, we are an embarrassment. Our natural allies have shunned us. The world believes that we are diminishing, isolated and nationalistic. I am hopeful that that will change and we become the power house nation on e again.
I do agree, and like others here, I’m worried that our country seems to be veering away from these ideals. It was both fascinating and terrifying to read the book over the past weeks in our country’s history and to realize that the fight to “provide for liberty and the general welfare” is still going on in the present day. Indeed, as others have said, it seems that many right now would disagree that “providing for liberty and general welfare” is the mission of our country. The systems of promoting “general welfare” that serve as guardrails against severe financial loss and severe workplace harm are far from secure. Dray’s portrayal of Perkins’ efforts has made me more determined to fight to keep/restore them.
I agree with the statement about the purpose of government. But I think there are too many leaders of government today that would not agree, do not know what that means for the average American, and perhaps do not care. I also wonder who of them have read the constitution. Kathleen_L said it well.