Never Enough: America's Limitless Welfare State [Hardcover]

William Voegeli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2010

Since the beginning of the New Deal, American liberals have insisted that the government must do more—much more—to help the poor, to increase economic security, to promote social justice and solidarity, to reduce inequality, and to mitigate the harshness of capitalism. Nonetheless, liberals have never answered, or even acknowledged, the corresponding question: What would be the size and nature of a welfare state that was not contemptibly austere, that did not urgently need new programs, bigger budgets, and a broader mandate? Even though the federal government’s outlays have doubled every eighteen years since 1940, liberal rhetoric is always addressed to a nation trapped in Groundhog Day, where every year is 1932, and none of the existing welfare state programs that spend tens of billions of dollars matter, or even exist.

Never Enough explores the roots and consequences of liberals’ aphasia about the welfare state’s ultimate size. It assesses what liberalism’s lack of a limiting principle says about the long-running argument between liberals and conservatives, and about the policy choices confronting America in a new century. Never Enough argues that the failure to speak clearly and candidly about the welfare state’s limits has grave policy consequences. The worst result, however, is the way it has jeopardized the experiment in self-government by encouraging Americans to regard their government as a vehicle for exploiting their fellow-citizens, rather than as a compact for respecting one another’s rights and safeguarding the opportunities of future generations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“William Voegeli has taken up conservatism’s primal mission – deconstructing the liberal welfare state – from a fresh perspective, understanding that the liberal project is unbound by limiting goals. This understanding, in turn, allows for real insight into why conservatism never has, and likely never will, succeed in rolling back government. Never Enough is a penetrating piece of analysis, and a most valuable contribution to the political conversation.”

— Peter J. Boyer, Staff writer for The New Yorker since 1992

"Bill Voegeli's insightful and well crafted book explains why Americans are at once dissatisfied with their welfare state yet apparently willing to see it grow without limit, and also why the long running debate between liberals and conservatives over the welfare state has produced ever more confusion about who should benefit and who should pay for government programs. Voegeli, however, manages to frame this argument in a new way and to show how liberals and conservatives can get beyond their fruitless debates in order to place the American welfare state on a more effective and affordable footing. Never Enough is that rare book that makes a new contribution to an old debate and has something important to say to both liberals and conservatives."

— James Piereson, President of the William E. Simon Foundation and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute

“William Voegeli may be the most valuable, engaging and original critic of liberalism writing today. I have been waiting for him to write this book for years. No serious student of contemporary political life will regret their investment in this profound yet eminently accessible work. Never Enough answers questions most people struggle even to articulate.”

— Jonah Goldberg, Author of Liberal Fascism

“Never Enough is a nonpolemical critique of progressive, conservative, and libertarian visions of the welfare state: ‘always more,’ ‘always less,’ and ‘none at all.’ Contending that all three are untenable, William Voegeli offers a highly informative and lucid account of the political and ideological struggles that led to and perpetuate our current unsustainable welfare policies. Beware: whether or not you buy his ‘Pax Voegeli’ compromise, this book will compel you to clarify and wrestle with your own vision of the welfare state.”

— Randy E. Barnett, Author of Restoring the Lost Constitution: The Presumption of Liberty

“’Every problem deserves a program’: this is a driving liberal impulse that has exponentially increased the size and scope of government, giving rise to the never-enough, prosperity stifling state. In this new book, which channels the realistic spirit of Irving Kristol, William Voegeli argues that the welfare state isn't going to wither away – but we can make it leaner, more effective, and less kleptocratic. An essential work in the development of a twenty-first century conservatism. “

— Brian C. Anderson, Editor, City Journal; author of South Park Conservatives

About the Author

William Voegeli is a visiting scholar at the Henry Salvatori Center at Claremont McKenna College, and a contributing editor to the Claremont Review of Books. His reviews and articles have also appeared in City Journal, First Things, In Character, the Los Angeles Times, National Review, and The New Criterion. From 1988 to 2003 he was a program officer at the John M. Olin Foundation. He lives in Claremont, CA.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Encounter Books (May 11, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594033765
• ISBN-13: 978-1594033766
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #689,809 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 73 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Timely, crucial, civil guidance May 29, 2010

By Gregory G. Simonicni

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I begin this review with the opening line of an article from this week's USA Today: "Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of this year, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds. At the same time, government-provided benefits -- from Social Security, unemployment insurance, food stamps and other programs -- rose to a record high during the first three months of 2010." Given this "trend" as USA Today calls it, Bill Voegeli's book couldn't be more timely, if not crucial. Voegeli is a conservative, to be sure. But he understands that just as liberals can no longer try to solve every societal and individual problem with a government program, conservatives cannot ignore some basic societal and individual problems by saying, simply, "we have a philosophy of limited government." Voegeli lays out in clear, accessible prose (backed-up by cogent use of data that the reader will not find mind numbing) how liberals have driven the government-spending juggernaut that now imperils the nation. Readers will come to understand both the underlying liberal theories and slights-of-hand and the financial data that demonstrate how we face a state that can no longer be financially sustained. He also guides conservatives to understand that with the New Deal and Great Society the American social contract between the individual and the state was inalterably changed: middle-class Americans, in particular, really do want programs like Social Security, Medicare, and government-backed student loans (and with the recent oil-spill in the Gulf of Mexico, maybe even a more watchful Interior Dept. and EPA).

So given these seemingly irreconcilable differences -- a welfare state that cannot be financially sustained, but welfare state benefits Middle America won't give up -- where do we go from here? First, obviously, is to face the reality of the situation; become, as it were, a nation of Chris Christies. Then engage in a careful re-writing of the social contract. Voegeli makes some suggestions that are key to this endeavor: treating Social Security and Medicare as insurance plans for which beneficiaries would be means tested, for example. For liberals this will mean coming to grips with the astonishing ways in which they have so obligated this nation financially that we are, ironically, becoming a true "welfare state": turning to the world for more and more money we do not have to spend on ourselves. For conservatives, "it means," as Voegeli writes, "affirming that a decent society is obligated to prevent the small minority of citizens who are chronically unable to fend for themselves, and the larger minority occasionally and transitionally unable to do so, from leading miserable lives."

In the end, Voegeli is at his best when he challenges both sides to answer civilly two key questions. For liberals it is, precisely, what would be enough -- at what point has the government exhausted its ability to solve all the problems society and individuals face. And for conservatives it is what parts of the social contract that include the welfare state should be conserved because they are, now, like it or not, part of the success of the experiment in self-governance. We know now that the behemoth of government at all levels cannot be sustained. The question is what are we willing to give-up or re-negotiate to bring us back from the abyss?

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for Real Welfare Reform June 10, 2010

By Peter Draper

Format:Hardcover

Never Enough is both a keen, searching critique of the American welfare state and a fair, thoughtful assessment of modern liberalism. The title refers to what the author sees as liberalism's lack of a limiting principle: there is no ideal size to our ever-expanding welfare state, no goal trying to be achieved; just an ineffective, expensive, corrupt mess. Armed with clear prose and tables of data, William Voegeli makes a compelling case that the welfare state is not underfunded but that its funds are misallocated. Aiming for real political solutions and not ideological talking points, he urges conservatives to come to terms with the continued existence of a welfare state, and liberals to begin working toward one that is fundamentally smarter and more efficient, not only to avoid bankrupting the country but to best help those who need the help. A brilliant first book from an author from whom I hope to read more!

37 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I love reading Bill Voegeli May 24, 2010

By Beau Brummell

Format:Hardcover

I love reading Bill Voegeli's writing. In fact, I do it for a living, as an editor for the Claremont Review of Books, where he has published wise and beautiful essays every quarter for the last couple of years. Some of these essays contained the seeds of thought and data and analysis that grew into this book--it was exciting to see it growing!

If you care about what Americans ask government, at every level, to do for us; what we should ask and what we have historically asked government to do for us; how much we pay for what we ask for; how much we ought to be willing to pay for it; who pays what and who gets what--if you care about how the next generation is going to afford to repay the debts of this generation--you will want to read this book.

And you will be reminded that it is possible to write about such complicated and grave matters not just with wisdom, but with grace.