Power

Why do the people in charge of the government feel it is their responsibility to take money from the public in the form of taxes and give it back in the form of benefits. There are a number of reasons. First they see wealth distribution as a matter of fairness. They see the free market creating winners and loser and not everyone has the ability to be a winner and it is their duty to correct for any unfairness. They see people who are obsessed with immediate gratification and cannot set aside funds for a rainy day or for old age. They see people who spend money on foolish things instead of good investments. In other words they see themselves as the father and the people as their children. They do things out of compassion to protect people from their own ignorance. Then of course it brings power to those in charge and allows them to distribute funds to get votes which keeps them in power. The number one objective of every congress person is to get reelected so they can keep on being the magnanimous person they were created to be. They have given their lives to public service because they know what is best for people especially voters. There is a bit of hyperbole here but many public servants deep in their hearts feel that they are needed to protect the public from themselves. While they have good intentions they often times succumb to the mesmerizing allure of power and all too often power leads to corruption. People by nature want to be free which means they will make mistakes. Deep down people what to live in a society where they have the right to fail as opposed to a safe situation where some stranger has to hold their hand.