What constitutes 'General Welfare' in our constitution?

[RC]

Twice in our Constitution it mentions "general welfare" What constitutes 'General Welfare'?
The old-age benefits provisions of the Social Security Act of 1935 is an example of providing for the 'general welfare'. Medicaid/Medicare are 2 more examples of providing for the 'general welfare'.
Government controlled, Single Payer, Universal health care for the people of the United States IS covered by the Constitution, because the relative health of our citizens does affect the general welfare of the Nation. 45,000 dead people a year are proof the profit driven, privately run systems we have in place now are not working to provide the necessary health care for our nation.
How can our present private health insurance system, with its many insurance companies, each with its own way of doing things, its own highly paid management, its own attention to the bottom line for its share holders, its own claims requirements, its own forms for submitting claims, etc., be more efficient than any government controlled single Payer system, with its single set of rules and forms?

[OHdem10]

1. I wonder how Republicans interpret General Welfare. since they

do not subscribe to any program that can be described
as Social Safety Net??

[SoCalDem]

2. General welfare-pursuit of happiness.. They are the Frank Luntz-words of their day

easy to interpret on an micro level, but impossible to define on a macro level...perfect for politicians of any era:(

[indepat]

3. "For the overall societal" would be my guess whereas almost all legislation now passed is pure de

corporate welfare, a seeming direct violation of this principle imo, but the last time I checked my two Repug senators neither gave a diddle-dy-damn what I thought nor what were the letter and intent of the Preamble. :P

[msongs]

4. here's a few groups getting welfare from our pockets care of the Feds...

the dairy industry - nobody NEEDS milk products.
corn farmers - alcohol to run cars inefficiently
the US military - endless wars without end to give the officer corps job security
war profiteer corporations - making $$ over the dead bodies of our troops and foreign civilians
the oil industry - tax incentives that oughta be going to alternative energy development instead of
saving a dying industry

I'm sure you can think of many more

Oh and of course poor women with hungry kids living on the streets that could all be housed and fed for the price of a few tanks.

Msongs