Actually the term "general Welfare" is not just in the Preamble. You have to read the rest of the Constitution. Article 1 Section 8 first paragraph says, "Congress shall have power to...provide for the common Defence and the general Welfare of the United States..." This is the section that spells out the enumerated Powers of Congress. The term "general Welfare" was not talking about Government Entitlement Programs that we today call Welfare. It was the Government's responsibilty to provide for an atmosphere that would allow for economic growth through compitition and free markets. It was a protector of the rights we already had secured. It was a protector of individual's ideas through copyrite and patent laws, etc. It was a guard against unfair trade and commerce practices. In other words, it encouraged a man to be able to farm, own a business, and provide for his family without interference from the Government or large Corporations that could run him out of the market. For a person today to say or interpret the meaning inside the scope of, "The Constitution is a living and breathing document..." is to ignore strict construction (the founders intent) and to change its meaning to make excuses for the Government's excessive spending habits as a provider of people's living from cradle to grave.