But you know what effect that would have, yes? You (or rather the aggregate "you", i.e. the average American tax-payer) wouldn't give nearly as much to charity as you currently pay in taxes -- and that's even taking into account the fact that Americans are some of the most charitable people on the planet (in financial terms).

So people who are currently struggling, and rely on government assistance to get by? They will struggle more. People who fall on hard times, and need a bit of help to get back on their feet? Much less likely to get it.

We live in an era of unprecedented abundance. That we are unwilling, that our system is unable, to provide even a basic standard of living for all of our citizens -- that on its own is already a deep, deep, condemnation of how we do things. To go even further, to destroy the bits of aid we do give out, without even trying to replace or rebuild them?