Recently, there has been a major discussion of the American welfare system and its costs, and inherent in this discussion has been a question as to whether we are morally obligated to help people who are unproductive and who may have made of themselves a burden on society. Taxpayers have become irate at the idea that some people are not doing their share but are expecting society at large to support them. Underlying this discussion is the question as to under what circumstances are we morally obligated to share the product of our labors with others? In seeking an answer, we must consider aspects of the concept of distributive justice and answer objections that might be raised.

The Republican welfare plan now proposed in Congress raises a number of important issues. These are the ten real issues found in the research on this topic…