This should go without saying. The US Constitution states it was created to “promote the general Welfare”. It goes on to give Congress the ability to “collect Taxes… to pay… for the… general Welfare of the United States.” This is it. The government is not around to collect taxes to provide for specific and special interests.

One special interest of the current note is Reparations. This is a recurring theme. I remember hearing this word as a youth and wondering why everyone didn’t just work for money. No one had a response for me. Ever. This is an argument born of laziness and a fire stoked by partisan politics. The debate was won when the Constitution was ratified. This win was reaffirmed by the passing of the 14th Amendment.

The 14th Amendment states, in pertinent part, “neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay… any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.”

Our tax dollars shall not pay for the emancipation of any slave. This is black-letter Constitutional Law. The fact that the descendent of a slave is asking today for a sum of money or other such recompense due to the emancipation of that long-dead slave is astonishing. Such a claim is illegal and void. Period.

A second special interest that we must fight against is Federal Student loans. I do not mean the forgiveness of those loans, specifically. I mean the entire system. This is a tax-payer-funded program. The special interest of college students is not a general Welfare question; thus, it is outside the scope of the Federal tax burden. Student loans should be financed through special interest groups without the aid of taxes.

The idea that States cannot run their own education systems is folly and unsupported by the facts of record. Family unity, unemployment, American industrialism, inflation, crime rates, and other objective measures of success were all better before the institution of the Federal Department of Education than thereafter. For the record, these measures were also better before the New Deal.

When the Federal Government meddles in State, local, and individual matters, the result is always in the same direction: negative. Ask yourself, “When have I ever been in a terrible situation where the Feds showed up and things were made much better?” The results speak for themselves.

When my neighbor comes to hard times, I can provide for myself, my family, and my community better than the Government. When I come to hard times, my neighbor can provide for himself, his family, and his community better than the Government. We take care of each other.