Why do we have Obamacare and calls for tuition-free college?

[This_person]

“The America Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.”
— Alexis de Tocqueville

 

[Larry Gude]

Why did we have public education at all? Public roads, utilities? Vaccinations? A public military? Social Security? Medicare? Makes a hell of a lot more sense to me to pay for college for kids and to have free health care than forever war against a bunch of people who'd fix their own problems if we get out of the way. :shrug:

 

[This_person]

Why did we have public education at all?

State funding, or federal? State funding is due to the 10th amendment. Federal funding is weakly acceptable due to the "provide for the general welfare of the United States" clause of Article One, Section 8 of the constitution. I am against federal funding because of the "weakly" part, but don't fight it too hard.

Public roads,

Post roads? Article One, Section Eight again. Specifically called out as a responsibility of the federal government.

utilities?

We have federal utilities? I thought they were provided either at cost by some entities of municipal government (or state, and rarely federally-owned entities that take no federal funding) or for profit by profit-driven businesses.

Vaccinations?

Again, weakly general welfare

A public military?

Provide for the common defense (but no funds allowed for more than two years) - Article One, Section Eight

Social Security? Medicare?

No good reason whatsoever. Fully meets my "bribe the public" quote above.

Makes a hell of a lot more sense to me to pay for college for kids and to have free health care than forever war against a bunch of people who'd fix their own problems if we get out of the way. :shrug:

Um, how?