Position Paper

Abstract

A welfare state has existed in this country for over seventy years. This paper examines the moral issues of a welfare state and the social responsibility of individuals towards maintaining the status quo. This paper will also look at moral standings of society as a whole and the responsibility of the individual to contribute resources towards the welfare of others.

The case study “The Shrinking Welfare State: The New Welfare Legislation and Families” discusses the issue of welfare and low-income families. The case study does an excellent job of investigating economical and social issues, but fails to thoroughly address the morality of a welfare state. Before entering into the morass of moral issues surrounding welfare, dysfunctional familial units, societal ethics and personal responsibility, let us define and examine the term ‘welfare state’.
A welfare state is “a term that emerged in the 1940s to describe situations where the state ...