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Entry: Race, Nationalism, and Patriotism, Part III: Patriotism Link: http://www.takimag.com/blogs/article/race_nationalism_and_patriotism_part_iii_patriotism#15896 Post contents: @Adriana: <i>"By the way, Scott, do you realize that this explains why the central government grows and grows? With a population of transients, the local institutions that would normally do the job are hollowed out and rendered useless. We have no local community, so why would we expect it to deliver those services that according to subsidiarity theory it should?"</i> Absolutely. One article I've long wanted to write is an overview of the history of welfare services in the Midwest. Sounds boring, I know, but it illustrates quite well that the central state is not necessarily the best or the most efficient provider. Throughout the Midwest, welfare was handled at the township and county levels. It took two main forms: cash funds that could be handed out at the discretion of township officials to those in need, usually to pay rent or mortgage or to purchase food or medicine; and poor farms. The latter is what got me interested in this history in the first place. When I was in elementary school, my class visited the Ottawa County (MI) Community Haven, which the Ottawa County Park System website describes as follows: <i>"The 229 acre Community Haven property, located on the Grand River in Polkton Township, was acquired by Ottawa County in the early 1800s and established as a 'poor farm' to provide housing and services for indigent residents. This operation survived until the late 1990s."</i> It's not quite true that the operation of Community Haven as a poor farm continued until the late 1990's; at some point in my lifetime (I believe in the 80's), it was converted over to a county-run residential drug-treatment and mental-health facility. But when my class visited in the 70's, it was still used for its original purpose. It's interesting to note the use of the term "indigent residents." Only residents of Ottawa County (not transients) could move onto Community Haven, where they were required to work on the farm (though they could also have jobs) as long as they stayed. It provided a safety net that allowed people to get back on their feet by build up enough savings to afford housing. Entire families lived there, as well as indigent singles. While I'm not aware of any poor farms that remain in operation in the Midwest, some townships still set aside (very limited) funds to be used at the discretion of township officials to aid those residents in need in their townships. Sent at: 2008 07 09