Why not cut war spending instead of social spending?

WELFARE (n)
1: The state of doing well especially in respect to good fortune, happiness, well-being, or prosperity <must look out for your own welfare>

2a : aid in the form of money or necessities for those in need
2b : an agency or program through which such aid is distributed

@Set

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The final clause of Article One, Section Eight reads: To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

I know that's inconvenient for your argument, but you don't get to cherry-pick the constitution, it's an all or nothing affair.

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Please tell me how social spending is talked about in the Constitution in regards to Section 8 where the "Common Defense and the General Welfare" are mentioned? You won't be able to because it isn't there. You have to make up meanings to fit what you think "General Welfare" means.

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and Post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings; And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

General Welfare can mean anything you want it to.

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

The constitutional basis of the Social Security Act was uncertain. The basic problem is that under the "reserve clause" of the Constitution (the 10th Amendment) powers not specifically granted to the federal government are reserved for the States or the people. When the federal government seeks to expand its influence in new areas it must find some basis in the Constitution to justify its action. Obviously, the Constitution did not specifically mention the operation of a social insurance system as a power granted to the federal government! The Committee on Economic Security (CES) struggled with this and was unsure whether to claim the commerce clause or the broad power to levy taxes and expend funds to "provide for the general welfare," as the basis for the programs in the Act. Ultimately, the CES opted for the taxing power as the basis for the new program, and the Congress agreed, but how the courts would see this choice was very much an open question.

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The Supreme Court Cases-

Three Social Security cases made their way to the Supreme Court during its October 1936 term. One challenged the old-age insurance program (Helvering vs. Davis) and two challenged the unemployment compensation program of the Social Security Act. The Court would issue rulings on all three on the same day.

...

The Court ruled 7 to 2 in support of the old-age insurance program. And even though two Justices disagreed with the decision, no separate dissents were authored. The unemployment compensation provisions, by contrast, were hotly disputed within the Court, just as they had been the focus of most of the debate in Congress. The Court ruled 5 to 4 in support of the unemployment compensation provisions, and three of the Justices felt compelled to author separate dissents in the Steward Machine case and one Justice did so in the Southern Coal & Coke case.

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Providing for the general welfare is the basis of social programs. If you don't believe that this is the case, tell me what "promoting the general welfare" means, and give examples of it in our government.

Social welfare programs are based on Congress' inferential power to provide for the general welfare. It's hardly my fault if you can't see that.

What it is, is that I’ve given you an answer and the justification for it in the constitution. You just don't like the answer. Who gives a rat's ass if you refuse to see it.

@Art
First of all I never brought up the extra constitutional agencies.

I mentioned cutting funding in SS to people who are not of retirement age. You brought up extra constitutional agencies and I agreed that we can stand to do without some of them and even cut redundant agencies. You never commented on the SS aspect of my comment. Instead you brought up the Air Force and the USPS. That is a deflection.

You are right though the Constitution does not define common defense but it sure as hell outlines it and what it should do. The same cannot be said for social spending.

Quote:

Providing for the general welfare is the basis of social programs. If you don't believe that this is the case, tell me what "promoting the general welfare" means, and give examples of it in our government.

I see providing for the General Welfare as making sure everyone has the same opportunities and availability to the basic necessities of life.

I do not think it means the govt has to provide for people. There should be a limit to what the govt can just give people without them doing something for themselves.

There used to be a saying, Charity starts at home.