The Roots of Social Welfare Programs

Last edited Sun Feb 10, 2013, 06:44 AM - Edit history (1)

This article is the beginning of a weekly series concerning Social Security Disability programs. The purpose of this series is to educate the reader on what these programs are about, where we stand with current policy, and the implications of the policy suggestions now being discussed by our representatives in Washington, D.C.

In order to understand where this country is going with these programs, it's helpful to understand where we've been.

History buffs may recall that Social Security, as we understand it today, was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935. But the concept of a socioeconomic safety net for the elderly, ill, or disabled in a society goes back to the ancient Greeks. They regarded olive oil, of all things, as a good asset to own because it was rich in nutrients and could be stored for a long time.

Then we have the western European medieval feudal system, which was a form of government based on obligations between the king and his lords, nobles and serfs. The lords had economic security so long as they had enough serfs to work the land for them, and the serfs were economically secure provided they were able to work. However, if you were old, sick, or simply physically unable to work, you had to fend for yourself.

One of the first documented attempts of an official state-sanctioned social welfare program or "charity" were the English Poor Laws of 1601. However, the English created a distinction between the "deserving" and "undeserving" poor, a line that is increasingly blurred today illustrated by those who want to work but can't, and those who don't want to work and live off the system. The poor had to live in shelters called almshouses. The Pilgrims adopted their own form of this system in the American colonies.

More at http://www.chron.com/sponsored/makrislawfirm/article/The-Roots-of-Social-Welfare-Programs-4213711.php .

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