Broken Family, Image courtesy of Cap and Share https://capandshare.org
We continue our examination of the impact of government aid programs and fraud on the breakdown of the family.
Government Aid Programs and Taxes
There are sharp differences of opinion as to whether the tax system has become increasingly progressive or less so [1][2]. Certainly, the perceived burden of taxes on the working class has increased [3].
At the same time, a growing number advocate for a “universal basic income” from the government, not recognizing that the government must be funded by some means [4][5][6].
Whatever the truth, without question fraud is driving up the cost of government aid programs [7]. Politicians are not likely to resolve the problem soon, since they carefully avoid sacred cows to assure that they, themselves, remain in office [8].
The Family, the Church, and Government
The Bible views the family, the church, and government as three distinct but interrelated spheres of influence [9].
God established the family as the first and basic unit of society (Gen. 2: 24) [10A]. The family is a model of God’s own love (Eph. 5: 25, 28, 33), designed to meet essential human needs (1 Tim. 5: 8) and raise children in His love, instruction, and discipline (Deut. 6: 6-7; Matt. 19: 14; Eph. 6: 1-4).
The church is the Body of Christ, a spiritual family and community of believers that transcends biological ties (1 Cor. 12: 27). The role of the church is to provide moral guidance, fellowship, and service to others, equipping believers to live as God intended [11A].
Government is the civil authority instituted by God to maintain order and justice [10B]. As reflected in the Preamble to the US Constitution, the role of government is to provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, collect taxes, enforce laws and judge evildoers, while protecting good conduct (Rom. 13: 1-7)[16].
Government cannot function well when – as today – there is serious disagreement about what constitutes the general welfare and good conduct; and many simply ignore what once were societal norms.
Clearly, government cannot substitute for the family, though we are trending in that direction [12][13][14]. When the family fails, the church, government, and society at large suffer [11B][15].
Those gaming the system are harming us all.
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[1] University of Chicago Law School, “How Progressive Is the US Tax System?” by Thomas Coleman and David Weisbach, 2023, https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/law_and_economics_wp/119/.
[2] GovFacts, “The Tax Revolution that Created Today’s Inequality Crisis”, 6/24/25 (Updated 12/5/25), https://govfacts.org/long-term-challenges-future/economic-transformation/economic-inequality-trends/how-80-years-of-changing-us-tax-policy-have-reshaped-american-wealth/.
[3] YouTube, “High Taxes Are Hitting the Working Class Harder than Ever”, https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=has+tax+burden+on+working+class+increased+in+uSA+during+past+25+years&mid=F7F839FA19D8863644DAF7F839FA19D8863644DA&churl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fchannel%2fUCmXyOLGT5U3XGc3txarblKA&FORM=VIRE.
[4] Wikipedia, “Universal basic income”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_basic_income.
[5] Income Movement, “Fighting for Basic Income”, https://www.incomemovement.org/about.
[6] US Congress, “Universal Basic Income Proposals for the United States”, 4/3/18, https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/PDF/IF10865/IF10865.3.pdf.
[7] US Government Accountability Office (GAO), “Fraud and Improper Payments”, https://www.gao.gov/fraud-improper-payments#:~:text=In%20FY%202025%2C%2015%20federal%20agencies%20reported%20a,these%20improper%20payments%20were%20a%20result%20of%20overpayments.
[8] Bryan E. Hall, “Sacred Cows — Eleven Political Positions that Are Patently Wrong But Untouchable”, 3/15/26, https://bryanehall.substack.com/p/sacred-cows.
[9] Think Institute, “Church, State, and Family: A Biblical Framework” by Joseph Settecase, https://thethink.institute/articles/church-state-and-family-a-biblical-framework.
[10A and 10B] BibleHub, “Church and Family Dynamics”, https://biblehub.com/topical/c/church_and_family_dynamics.htm.
[11A and 11B] Watermark Community Church, “Politically Correct: The Roles of Family, Government, and the Church” by Campus Pastor Blake Holmes, 10/18/20, https://www.watermark.org/message/7810-politically-correct-the-roles-of-family-government-and-the-church.
[12] National Affairs, “The Future of Family Policy” by Abby McCloskey, Winter 2022, https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-future-of-family-policy.
[13] National Affairs, “The Limits of Parents’ Rights” by Naomi Schaefer Riley, Summer 2024, https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-limits-of-parents-rights.
[14] CalMatters, “A Trump order targets gender-affirming care for youth. California is suing to block it” by Ana Ibarra, 8/1/25, https://calmatters.org/health/2025/08/gender-affirming-care-lawsuit/.
[15] Cap and Share (CAS), “The Ripple Effect: How Broken Families Affect Your Community” by Jonathan Anderson, 8/3/23, https://capandshare.org/broken-families-affect-community/.
[16] Constitution Annotated, “Preamble to US Constitution”, https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/preamble/.
Part 1 in this series was posted 9/13/26.
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I kept thinking about the Salvation Army while reading this. Whatever you think about government assistance, there seems to be a pretty big difference between an organization whose whole purpose is serving people directly and a government program trying to accomplish the same thing through a sprawling bureaucracy controlled by politicians with their own interests.
Here’s wishing you a blessed week, Anna!
The same to you, Scott.
Well said, Anna.
Where I live charity is an entire industry, an ecosystem so to speak. We can’t solve any problems because the problems are what ensures the funding keeps flowing. If one were to fix homelessness for example, one would collapse several organizations, cause massive job loss, and hurt the economy. Some of it is definitely sketchy and fraudulent, but some of it is just how the game is played. We have a whole lot of unholy alliances between non profits and government. Half the time a member of your city council will also be the board president of some charitable org. Needless to say the charitable org’s budget keeps doubling, taxes keep rising, and you now have more homeless than you started with. In my neck of the woods we call it the, “homeless industrial complex.”
SMH.
Thank you for speaking out about this problem
Without Christian moral order & the institution of family, humanity is lost
I could not agree more, Ravishank.
And yet it is precisely because our government has distanced itself from the spiritual guidance of its predecessors (Almighty God) that the door has been left wide open to allow the “author of confusion” to come in and sow doubt, discord, and contention among the populace. When right is no longer right and wrong is no longer wrong all that is left is chaos-and we’re living it right now.
Well said, Ron.
When the government is part of the problem and actively fosters moral disintegration, the social fabric tears further.