I was on a nature walk a few days back and had an interesting thought. Bare with me.
The only way that our governments (state and federal) can implement a requirement or restriction on its constituents that will be recognized as constitutional by the United States Supreme court is if it deals with the general welfare.
This is per the "General Welfare Clause" in the constitution. According to the Legal Dictionary it is defined as " The concern of the government for the health, peace, morality, and safety of its citizens."
Providing for the welfare of the general public is a basic goal of government. The preamble to the U.S. Constitution cites promotion of the general welfare as a primary reason for the creation of the Constitution. Promotion of the general welfare is also a stated purpose in state constitutions and statutes. The concept has sparked controversy only as a result of its inclusion in the body of the U.S. Constitution.
In America a major problem is hungry people. But giving them food stamps allows them to go to the store and purchase food and groceries but doesn't require any work (other than some monotonous paper work).
I have the proposition that state and federal governments add to that system and designate government funded food banks in every city. Much like the federal government has a postal offices in every city. In these massive food banks would be controlled temperatured gardens and a wide variety of grown food that would be given out.
This would create more jobs in every city and give the area healthier free food!
The thought that came into my head while I was on that nature walk was Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, walking in a massive garden that provided free food and how amazing it would be if we had gardens on every corner that anyone could grab free food from and that everyone tended to.
The proposal I have may be a long shot, but my vision of free healthy food everywhere would definitely be a GREAT CHANGE for the general welfare of our country!