{Editor’s Note: This is the 22nd installment of a series of articles attempting to address the 32 questions posed by Ron Paul in his recent farewell speech given in front of Congress. Check out the previous installment, “Why Is Patriotism Thought To Be Blind Loyalty To The Government Rather Than To The Principles Of Liberty?" } "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until a majority of voters discover that they can vote themselves largess out of the public treasury." - Alexander TylerWe currently live in a welfare society. Actually, let me correct that - we are currently 2% of the populace away from living in a welfare society if we use 51% as the benchmark, which would put those on the government dole in one way or another as the majority. This all began with Roosevelt's New Deal in 1935.  I assume most readers are fluent in the New Deal, which started welfare as we know it, created in the midst of the Great Depression. It was with the stroke of FDR's pen that our country started down the path to government dependence that has only increased exponentially year after year.This handy graph breaks down US citizens' reliance on government by program:The cost of these programs exceeds 1.3 trillion dollars and is only going to increase as our economy continues to decline and also as it becomes socially acceptable to be on welfare, food stamps, have housing assistance or be on the unemployment dole for extended periods of time. And that brings us back around to our main question:Why Is It Claimed That If People Can't or Won't Take Care Of Their Needs, People In Government Can Do It For Them?We as a society have grown to accept government assistance and involvement as a part of daily life, which is dangerous on many levels.Reliance on the government as a fallback parachute serves as a demotivating factor - when people know that they do not have to work to survive, they won't. It's as simple as that. We overestimate the drive of the average human being. Not everyone strives to live in a mansion or drive a Porsche. Many people are quite happy to live in a studio apartment or in a run down neighborhood as long as they have to put forth the minimum effort to maintain that state of living. With government assistance that is possible for extended periods of time under government funded housing, welfare and food stamps. The same applies to unemployment. While in theory it's nice to have a parachute if one loses his or her job, the extensions to unemployment pushed through during the most recent economic decline enable someone to stay on unemployment for up to 99 weeks if one qualifies for all the benefits. That's 693 days or a bit over a year and a half.As these benefits and programs pile up and are accepted into the general lives of everyday Americans, they are adopted as entitlements that then cannot be taken away. In fact, more entitlements are usually demanded. If the government can provide housing, why can't it provide phones too? Well, it does.  We recently posted about "Obamaphones" - another ridiculously mismanaged effort by the government that has been abused by the citizens using it, who now are ecstatic over their free cellphones and depend on them for everyday use.   As we approach a majority of the populace that relies on government assistance, we also approach a point of no return. If 51% of the population votes for an agenda to support and continue policies that promote assistance - as they of course will - there is no turning back. People vote for their own self-interests and make no mistake that government welfare and the nanny-state will continue on.The other danger in this acceptance of government in everyday life is that it bleeds into other aspects that extend beyond economics. If the government is seen as a helping hand, it will be accepted that it can have additional roles in our lives. Telling us what to eat, drink, smoke...what to watch; what to think. It is insidious in the way in which it will worm into our lives and eventually we will be wholly subservient, having accepted the handouts gradually until being consumed before we know it. This is how troops get stationed on every corner. This is how government x-ray scanner vans are permitted to patrol the streets and invade privacy. This is how the government tracking your every move comes into being.The government is not a force for good. It is a force for control and a force bent on perpetuating itself.Reject it, or become absorbed in it. This is the choice.                             Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!