The Politics of Disaster. If you declare it, relief will come

Dave Durand-Contributor

This country is headed for a disaster of Biblical proportions. What do I mean by "Biblical"? What I mean is Old Testament, Mr. Reader. Real wrath of God type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes! The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice… dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

No, I am not just referencing Ghostbusters here. I am quoting verbatim the disaster declarations from states directly in the path of Hurricane Irene… ok maybe not “verbatim”.

I’d like to ask you to undergo a short intellectual exercise with me regarding federal disaster relief funds. But first, please read what James Madison had to say on the issue. "I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on the objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents."

Right on Jimbo! There is no doubt that Madison is correct in saying there is no constitutional authority for the federal government to provide disaster relief. My objection goes a little deeper than that. I tend to take a more philosophical stance against government sponsored charity whether it is on the federal, state, or local level.

Let’s assume for a minute that you have a home, and it is burns to the ground from a lightning strike. What would you do under the circumstance? I think there are three logical and just ways to deal with this problem.

I would suspect that the vast majority of you would call your insurance agent and have the home rebuilt. Now if you are a fool and you don’t have insurance, I would think you would then have to rebuild, purchase, or rent another home. If you did not have the money for a new home or a rental, I would think you could ask your family, a friend, or a private charity to take you in during your time of need. It seems to me which ever path you take, it is logical and just.

What if instead of the three solutions presented, you broke into 1000 homes and stole $100 from each family. You then used the money to purchase a new home for $100,000? Would that be logical and just? I argue no. What if you had the ability to break into 10,000 homes and steal just $10, or 100,000 homes and steal just $1, or 1,000,000 homes and steal just $0.10? Would that then be logical and just? I say no! What if instead of mass larceny, you employ your elected representatives to tax your neighbors, give their money to you, but call it “disaster relief”. Would that then be logical and just? I still say no!

If you agree with me, then how can you support government sponsored charity such as FEMA or other disaster relief programs? How can you support government programs that will help rebuild areas affected by Hurricane Irene?  If you disagree with me, let me say it plain. What you support is the taking of property from one individual via taxation, and giving it to another for altruistic reasons. This is not charity. It is theft.

Am I responsible for my neighbor’s misfortune? Is my life and property any less my own once my neighbor’s house is reduced to a pile of ashes or is washed away in a storm surge? At what point, can my neighbor legally claim possession of my money in order to rebuild his shattered life, even if his life is shattered through no fault of his own? I’ll leave it to the reader to answer these questions.

This is not a rant against charity, altruism, hand outs, or the ideals of a community that helps those who are less fortunate. If these actions are voluntary, then they are the epitome of love, kindness, and selflessness that only a free and prosperous people can truly demonstrate. What’s more, I think that America has shown itself to be exactly the kind of nation I just described.

What I object to, is forced participation in a cause no matter how worthy, widely accepted, or useful. In the final analysis government is force, and force should only be used to repel illegitimate force. This is why we grant government the power to maintain a military, police forces, and a court system. This is why we establish laws that make it illegal for one person to initiate force on another. Once government forces you to participate in charity, then you have flipped the proper role of government on its head. Your property rights, along with you freedom, are then a thing of the past.