Free A More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties by Ben Carson MD, Candy Carson Page A

to strengthen the fabric of our nation, which is what any government should want to do and which clearly promotes the general welfare. Of course, the progressives will ignore the facts and claim that I am advocating eliminating all governmental safety nets. They will say that now that I have “made it,” I want to pull up the ladder and keep others from benefiting. This kind of nonsense is typical of the scare tactics they use to maintain support for their failed policies and prevent traction for programs that would actually help the people rather than the political ambitions of ideological politicians.

THE BENEFIT OF SUPPORTING FAMILIES
    Promoting two-parent homes is another way of supporting the general welfare that infuriates progressives. As a youngster growing up in poverty, I did notice that the families around us that had both a mother and a father were financially much more prosperous. Many sociological studies today continue to show that children growing up in two-parent homes are much less likely to live in poverty. Since this is a well-established fact, governmental policies and programs should support the establishment and maintenance of two-parent homes. That would be consistent with promoting the general welfare. It would also lessen the burden on society, since there would be less poverty. This kind of thinking is anathema to the politically correct crowd, who will advocate for alternative families until their dying breath. They aretotally unconcerned with the facts and cling tenaciously to their faulty ideology. I believe they would be much happier if they simply accepted the facts and were content with the existence of alternative family structures, without arguing for equivalency.

PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
    Though we tend to associate the term “welfare” with social safety nets, there are other government agencies that should promote the general welfare in other ways. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established to protect the land, air, and waters of the United States from those who would destroy them in order to increase their profits. When functioning properly, the EPA should work in conjunction with industry and academia to discover and employ the best strategies for preserving our environment while still being able to take advantage of our abundant natural resources.
    Today many people act as if we can either protect the environment or develop our resources. This is ridiculous. It is eminently possible to utilize petroleum-based resources in an environmentally friendly way while at the same time encouraging and facilitating the development of clean, renewable energy sources. Over the course of time the renewable resources will probably supplant the petroleum-based ones, which is as it should be when progress is made. Certainly there is no reason for environmentalists and energy businesses to be battling each other and becoming political enemies. We are smart and capable enough to pursue more than one goal at a time.
    When governmental agencies like the EPA are used to promote ideological agendas instead of the common good, they hurt our nation. But when they behave as they should, they safeguard our resources to our benefit.

MAINTAINING OUR CURRENCY
    The Treasury Department is another agency that promotes the general welfare. It is supposed to work with other agencies and financial institutions to provide a solid financial foundation for our nation. Its actions should be oriented toward protecting the value of our currency, both today and tomorrow. This department, along with Congress and the executive branch of government, must be reoriented toward decreasing the federal debt, empowering the responsible financial institutions, and fighting financial fraudulent activity. By so doing it will greatly enhance the quality of life for our children.

CHAPTER 8
    SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY
    “Good people leave an inheritance to their