Michael Knowles

I think the reason for that is because people do not think of it anymore because of the size and scope of the government as a massive sin to defraud the government.

They don't understand that when you're defrauding the government, you're defrauding your fellow taxpayers.

That when you do this sort of stuff,

What you are actually doing is robbing human beings.

There's a person on the other side of the check.

And this is the problem with these gigantic social welfare systems.

If you are a Republican and you're only going to make the case that they need to be more efficient, these social welfare systems, these social welfare systems, if we just could get them more efficient, then they would be good.

Then you're arguing at the margins.

The reality is that many of these social welfare systems have actively deprived people of virtue.

I mean, just to take a quick example, you know, Social Security, I understand why it exists.

No one's arguing for it to go away on a practical level.

But one thing that Social Security has done is it has crowded out investment for the future for people because they believe they're getting a check from the federal government.

And it has also crowded out people taking care of their parents and planning for the future in terms of their financial, making sure that their parents are taken care of.

And so what used to be a sort of familial aspect has turned into a governmental aspect.

Now, you can argue that that's made elderly people more prosperous.

That's fine.

It is a gigantic social welfare system that's bankrupting the country.

But it is true that governmental systems tend to crowd out individual virtue and social virtue.

And so I think that's a huge component of this.

I mean, why don't any of these people who are defrauding people millions of dollars feel guilty?