# 18 – “Promote the General Welfare”

This line of the Preamble sets out one of the goals of the government that is, after all, for the people. I’ve seen this take shape in many forms. The first I can think of is providing economic benefits for those that are out and out in terms of their finances. This can be by providing low-income housing, government support checks, food stamps, and other forms of helping people to gain their necessities and get their feet off the ground.
I think the line goes much deeper than this, though. I see it as the government truly working for what is best for all of its people. This is a pretty tough gig as we have grown so much larger as a country. The more people you have, the more opinions, the more needs, and the tougher to please. Promoting the general welfare involves everyone having a voice in the land of argumentation. We see with stories of the Navajo Nation that the government falls short in many ways. However, the goal really seems to be here for everyone to get a slice of the pie, for everyone to progress together. A government outlined to serve its peoples common interest and not itself is a rather beautiful idea, a rather revolutionary one for the time. I return back to the central part of this welfare being the freedom to speak one’s mind and to persuade others to join their cause towards creating a better future.
I’ve seen it at work in Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Chicago for the LGBT Movement. I’ve seen it at work, even though it was disturbing, in Portland and Chicago for certain sects of Evangelical Christianity. I saw it in Boston, Charleston, and Williamsburg as people celebrate the past and attempt to keep it alive. The act of free speech being available from the beginning ensures, despite all of the inequalities that exist, that progress towards the general welfare can be made.