The usurpation of charitable endeavors by government and those it favors, to the disadvantage of the poor, is what we saw then, and what we’re seeing now. Henry VIII took a lot of that wealth himself and, yes, sold a lot of it to his supporters at bargain basement prices. We saw the ultimate of that in the Soviet era, when the government strictly forbade churches from doing charitable works because “it is the government’s function” to do that. Ultimately, the Bolsheviks wouldn’t even allow churches to sell valuables to aid the starving, again under the same pretext, and simply confiscated the valuables. The proceeds didn’t go to feed the starving, however.
It is not only the libertarians who deprive the poor to help the well-off. This administration did the very same thing with “cash for clunkers”, giving subsidies to those who could afford new cars anyway, and depriving the poor of the “clunkers” they depend on for transportation by destroying them. Utterly heartless. This administration has raised a lot of taxes, and has instituted a lot of middle-class and corporate welfare schemes, but has done absolutely nothing for the poorest of the poor.
I will say one thing in the libertarians’ favor, though. They have no objection to private and faith-based charity. This administration and its party in the states, has done everything in its power (so far) to impede the operations of Catholic institutions, including charities.
But morally, both are bankrupt.
