4 ms·
You are saying that welfare systems successfully alleviate poverty, to insinuate that welfare systems not needed to alleviate poverty?
by gohrt 11y ago
You are saying that welfare systems successfully alleviate poverty, to insinuate that welfare systems not needed to alleviate poverty?
- mbostleman 11y agoI am saying that to the extent that poverty gets better, it puts at risk the funding (or at least the growth of it) for the social institutions and economic policy that exist for that purpose. Since social programs make up half of US government spending, I am pretty sure that makes them collectively the largest institution in the world. And they're going to defend their jobs and their turf proportionately.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- ptaipale 11y agoNo, I read it says that welfare systems successfully alleviate poverty, which is why quoting numbers prior to the application of those welfare systems is not giving a realistic assessment of poverty. I.e. if a worker gets $5 in salary and $5 in welfare subsidies, it is somewhat dishonest to argue that because his income is only $5, the welfare subsidies are insufficient. It's the net income after taxes and transfers that should be looked at when considering poverty, not pre-tax pre-transfer income (which quite astonishingly seems to be used fairly often).