Sunday, January 13, 2013

Does It Make Sense To Declare War On The Poor?

That's what Georgia is doing, among other states.

The problem with "getting tough" on the poor generally, and the welfare reform law in particular, is that it destroys an entire class of consumers who, because they have no wealth to live on, are perpetually part of the consumption base.  In effect, they guarantee a certain level of consumption, in good times and bad, which in turn guarantees a certain level of production as well.

When the law was first enacted, many people wondered what would happen to the poor in hard times.  For my part, since I knew the answer to that question (and am not surprised that I've been proven correct), I've wondered whether our most recent economic plunge would have been as steep, had we retained that guaranteed base of consumption.

This is not an argument for welfare fraud.  There are, and always have been, ways to root out the bad apples without emptying the whole barrel.  But, sadly, I believe that we have lost sight of how interdependent our society is--and how, when we declare "war" against one part of it, we are really declaring war on everyone.

Perhaps technology can give us a way to make an immediate difference.  Take a look at a program that is copying a similar one in Kenya.

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