Letter: All government is 'forced charity," and it's needed

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Allen Christensen argues ("Medicaid expansion is forced charity," Tribune, Dec. 21) that Medicaid expansion is forced charity. This being part of his party's line, there is no surprise in the claim.

However, the same argument can be applied to everything the government does since all of its revenue is "our money." So the real question is, do the people of the country approve of what the government does? The list of government activity is vast and there is equally vast disagreement on the particulars.

Charity is certainly a wonderful human virtue, but it has never been adequate to the needs of the people. That is an important part of the reason for having government in the first place. Mr. Christensen seems to envision a world in which charity is sufficient to human need. Would that it were so.

Meantime, let us be grateful that we have government to fill the unmet needs of the people.

Robert Brossard

Salt Lake City