"I do not believe that the power and duty of the general Government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering. . A prevalent tendency to disregard the limited mission of this power should, I think, be steadfastly resisted. . Federal aid in such cases encourages the expectation of paternal care on the part of the Government and weakens the sturdiness of our National character." .
- Grover Cleveland .
On August 3rd, 2000, in his Acceptance speech , at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, President George W. Bush told a touching story of Mary Jo Copeland, "whose ministry called "Sharing and Caring Hands" serves 1,000 meals a week in Minneapolis, Minnesota", in his address of the problem of ever-increasing poverty and homelessness rates in America. Mr. President admitted that, "[the] Government cannot do this work. It can feed the body, but it cannot reach the soul. Yet government can take the side of these groups, helping the helper, encouraging the inspired." As a resolution to this problem, he assured that, "[his] administration will give taxpayers new incentives to donate to charity, encourage after-school programs that build character, and support mentoring groups that shape and save young lives. " He clearly had a bright future in mind for his people and undoubtedly the greatest of intentions. His view that something must be done about the current state of our welfare program is widely shared by the people. Yet, his proposal on providing religious charities with funding collected from the taxpayers inspired much opposition and an intense debate.
"Not every good idea should be a federal government program." These clever words, once spoken by Mr. Bush himself in one of his speeches, were good advice that he should have followed when proposing a policy that would distribute billions of dollars in federal funds to private and religious charities over the next 10 years.
Circuit. 3 Ginsburg generally does not consider the framers' intent in her constitutional decision-making. ... The choice of Ninth Circuit Judge Kennedy, a conservative who had been active in Republican politics in California during Reagan' governorship, was a practical move after the Bork and Ginsburg disasters. ...
