Feruary 22, 2009

To: The American Tax Payer
From: The Ghost of William F. Buckley, Jr.
Re: Welfare and the cost of Freedom


I was William Frank Buckley Jr., I was born November 24, 1925 I passed on February 27, 2008. I was an American conservative author and commentator. I founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, I hosted the television show Firing Line, from 1966 until 1999. I was also a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist.
My primary intellectual achievement was to fuse traditional American political conservatism with laissez-faire and anti-communism. I helped form the foundation of modern American conservatism of U.S. presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and President Ronald Reagan.

Tuesday, February 17th I read that this new “Stimulus” proposal the President Obama is signing into law would dramatically change the entire economical and political climate of our country. Among the many drastic changes is a reversal of the Welfare Reform that took place during the Clinton Era (commonly called the Welfare to Work Act). The 1970’s and 90’s gave the state’s a motivation to keep people on the welfare train. The more people a state had signed up for welfare, the bigger welfare budget Washington DC allotted them. Their was no clear motivation for the state officials to lead welfare recipients off welfare and into the working class. This changed in the 1990’s. Welfare reform was introduced and eventually it was passed into law, in 1996.

This newest Stimulus plan includes TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). This is “Cash Assistance”.

This plan also has in it income tax “cuts” for people who do not pay any taxes!

This new plan as a whole is an attempt to “buy” our way out of poverty with money we do not have! Since the “War on Poverty” was first waged in 1965 we have spent $10 Trillion dollars to have the same poverty rate as before. Perhaps there is another crazy plan out there more of us should subscribe to. Maybe we could “Earn” our way out of debt. I have heard that some individuals have tried it and succeeded. It’s a personal accountability concept. It is very un-evolved and out of fashion.


With great concern from beyond the grave,

WFB