[medscribe]

Sure it does...it's in the Preamble. Try reading that.

[gleeaikin]

Bush SOTU ping

[TheBattman]

This Preamble?

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

I guess that's where the term "welfare" comes from. But notice it says to promote the general welfare, it doesn't say to "provide" the general welfare.

I don't see anything about public entitlements in those words (or anywhere else in the US Constitution.

Now, I guess if the preamble is interpreted as loosely as the Bible is to suit political ambition and agendas, then sure - it says the government is suppose to give entitlements to everyone, other than those who actually work for a living. Including those who are not even US Citizens, and are not here legally.

[DBrow]

The "general welfare" of the preamble describes "making things OK" or something similar.

It does not authorize FedGov to take earned income from citizens and distribute it to others, whether the goal is "ending poverty" or "providing quality health care" or "making housing affordable". Those are Marxist ideas, and the constitution describes a republic, not a Marxist government.

There is no constitutional authority or obligation such as the one Bush described.