It has been almost 50 years since the Great Society was
announced by the Johnson administration. It was promoted as a
series of government programs to provide a “hand up rather than
a handout.” One element of the Great Society was the War on
Poverty. Another was the elimination of racial injustice. It
resembled the New Deal of the 1930s. Through it the government
intended to orchestrate a society of abundance and liberty for
all by addressing poverty, education, medical care and a variety
of urban problems. In short, the federal government promised to
solve the woes of the nation by taking definitive actions, all
of which were linked to increased government spending. Some may
say that poverty was reduced during the 1960s, but at what cost
and who pays the bill? Today, after 50 years of government
orchestrated programs to solve the nation’s problems, Medicare,
Medicaid, Social Security, as well as other entitlements such as
food stamps, unemployment, and housing assistance make up 62
percent of all federal spe