The Birth of the Administrative State: Where It Came From and What It Means for Limited Government

Compose a brief essay of at least 400 words but no more than 600 words (not including your references list) on the following topic, referring to and critiquing relevant ideas from at least three of the Week 10 readings as you develop your thoughts:

It’s vital to remember that concerns about the size of government cannot be separated from economic beliefs since all actions by the government must be paid for—primarily—through taxation. According to the website of the Social Security Administration, “[presently,] the Social Security program is the largest single item in the annual federal government budget. As a percentage of total federal expenditures, in 2002 Social Security benefits were approximately 22.6% of federal expenditures. As a percentage of federal outlays, Social Security benefits have ranged from a low of 0.22% (during World War II) to a high of 23.2% in 2001” (http://www.ssa.gov/history/percent.html).

Assume for the purpose of this assignment that we do not currently have a Social Security Act, but that the creation of such legislation is being seriously considered by the federal government for the first time and that the government has accurately predicted that cost of such a program. Create an argument for or against the passage of such a law based on your conception of the ideas on the optimum size of government and on government interventions in the economy (Social Security is an intervention in the economy).

Readings:

Ron Pestritto: “The Birth of the Administrative State: Where It Came From and What It Means for Limited Government”

Ryan Messmore: “A Moral Case against Big Government”

Progressivism and Expansive Government:

Peter Dreier and Dick Flacks: “Patriotism and Progressivism”

John Halpin and Conor P. Williams: “What is Progressivism?”

Ruy Teixeira and John Halpin: “The Progressive Tradition in American Politics” [pay particular attention to the bullet list, Progressive reforms: A century of accomplishments”]

Capitalism and Socialism: Pro and Con:

Capitalists:

Walter Williams: The Entrepreneur as American Hero”

Samuel Gregg: “Markets, Morality, and Civil Society”

Communists and Socialists:

Bertrand Russell: In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays  (1935): Chapter VII: “The Case for Socialism”

Marx and Engels: Selection from The Communist Manifesto (1848)

Chapter II: Proletarians and Communists

EPI: Balancing Paychecks and Public Assistance: http://www.epi.org/publication/wages-and-transfers/

SSA: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10024.pdf