This post actually started out with that idea in mind. I wonder what would happen if every person who is eligible for government benefits were to take as much as they could–as a form of political protest. Would this drive government to raise taxes beyond what the general public could stomach? I don’t think it would be moral, though, because the unfortunate taxpayers would suffer even more losses than usual.

@Lauren

It is important not to mistake the benefits of living in a market society for government benefits. Even if government were not involved in food production, road construction, etc., we would still have food, roads, and so on. The difference would be that the market would efficiently determine how much of these goods were produced and how they would be provided. The myth that without government subsidies we would still be living in the dark ages is nonsense. So the fact that we all benefit from living in society can never justify a person reaping unjust gains from government extortion. The benefits of living in society come from voluntary cooperation, while government benefits are the product of involuntary taxation.

I see your point about calculation, but even if you personally like a government program, that doesn’t change the fact that by voting for it you have also voted for the government to use force to make others pay for the program as well. Even if you think the fire department is a great idea, you don’t have the right threaten your neighbors with the use of force to make them fund it with you. That is the basic problem with all government programs.

@ John

That’s a strong quote, but I don’t think it answers the question. Would you say that taking a tax-return is immoral? What about driving on a road funded by tax dollars? Where do you draw the line and say taking these government benefits is ok while taking those is not. We live in a society that does not allow you to keep the fruits of your labor. Where is the wrong in recovering what is rightfully yours anyway—regardless of whether it is through food stamps or fire protection? The way I read the quote is that it is wrong to take more than what you have put in. If you take more than what was taken from you then you have done something immoral—even if you have contributed some small amount into the system through your own taxes.

President Benson, BYU 1977

“When you accept food stamps, you accept an unearned handout that other working people are paying for. You do not earn food stamps or welfare payments. Every individual who accepts an unearned government gratuity is just as morally culpable as the individual who takes a handout from taxpayers’ money to pay his heat, electricity, or rent. There is no difference in principle between them. You did not come to this University to become a welfare recipient. You came here to be a light to the world, a light to society–to save society and to help to save this nation, the Lord’s base of operations in these latter days, to ameliorate man’s social conditions. You are not here to be a parasite or freeloader. The price you pay for “something for nothing” may be more than you can afford. Do not rationalize your acceptance of government gratuities by saying, “I am a contributing taxpayer too.” By doing this you contribute to the problem which is leading this nation to financial insolvency.”