“I have heard that the heads of states or noble families do not worry over poverty but instead over equal distribution of wealth; they do not fret over underpopulation, but whether the people are insecure. Now, if there is equality in distribution there will be no poverty; if there is harmony in society there will be no underpopulation, and if there is security, there will be no subversion” (Analects 16.10 Muller; http://www.acmuller.net/con-dao/analects.html#div-17)
My thoughts:
The responsibility of government derives from the rudiments of the concept of society. And the concept of society is derived from the most basic of all human instincts.
Human beings seem to have an innate moral sense founded upon a natural aversion to suffering. From an early age most everyone cannot bear the sound of one suffering, even before the suffering being can be identified. By nature we extend our natural aversion to discomfort of any degree to others somewhat indiscriminately, thus spontaneously feeling for the suffering of even a remote sentient being.
From these natural and instinctive human qualities are derived the primary objective of a society and the practical function of government.
Based upon our natural aversion to suffering which serves as the foundation for our innate moral sense, it seems that the primary objective of a society is to shield every single person from undue suffering. In fact, the responsibility of any collective is to provide for the common good. It then follows that the practical function of government would be to administer a system to meet that end.
Although written by men who were inconsistent in the execution of their own documented principles, even the US Constitution obliges the Congress to provide for the common defense and the general welfare (The Preamble and Article 1 Section 8). The reality then of poverty in our land of plenty reveals that as a society we not only fail a natural collective obligation, but we even fail to execute the primary principles of our own constitution.
For the primary objective of a society and the practical function of government is to alleviate undue suffering by providing for the common good and for the general welfare. In circumstances when such is not the case, then the society should repent and the government should be revised accordingly.
Only then will the natural way of government be established, balance be restored, and harmony ultimately ensue.
A Humanist's perspective 