How does one help the poor and indigent the best? It is a testament to the charitable spirit of human nature that many people ask me this question when I advocate an abolition of the Welfare State. How will we help those in need if we do not force our neighbors to “donate” a portion of their wealth at the barrel of a gun? Indeed if coercion is required to carry out your idea it is safe to assume your idea is worthless. If many people vote to propagate the violent redistribution of funds via the Welfare State, they could’ve organized to do the very same task voluntarily. It is never compassionate or charitable to decide what to do with other people’s stolen funds. That is the kernel of evil and the initiation of force.

The poor and needy are helped by giving them the tools to help themselves. Start a business to employ them, teach them useful skills, educate, and enlighten them. By all these methods they will lift themselves out of poverty. They will gain self-knowledge so they can pass it down to their progeny and so continue the ever-expanding wealth creation that is the legacy of the human race.

“They say if you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish then he’s gotta get a fishing license, but he doesn’t have any money. So he’s got to get a job and get into the Social Security system and pay taxes, and now you’re gonna audit the poor cocksucker, ’cause he’s not really good with math. So he’ll pull the IRS van up to your house, and he’ll take all your shit. He’ll take your black velvet Elvis and your Batman toothbrush, and your penis pump, and that all goes up for auction with the burden of proof on you because you forgot to carry the one, ’cause you were just worried about eating a fucking fish, and you couldn’t even cook the fish ’cause you needed a permit for an open flame. Then the Health Department is going to start asking you a lot of questions about where are you going to dump the scales and the guts…” Doug Stanhope, stand up comedian