> The government collects revenue and must decide on the most efficient way to spend that revenue. That's a reasonable textbook definition. How closely one thi

> The government collects revenue and must decide on the most efficient way to spend that revenue. That's a reasonable textbook definition. How closely one thinks this represents the reality of how government actually functions will lead to highly variable opinions about how much of the public's money the government should have access to. > Many economists have hypothesized that giving money directly to people is better than social programs such as food stamps. I agree, if we as a society believe that some level of social welfare is worthwhile, then giving money directly to the people who need it is better than the current strings-attached programs that tend towards locking people into the poverty cycle. But very seldom are these programs proposed as a replacement, they are usually offered as an additional program. This means, more taxes, more bureaucracy and more waste, not less.