I tire of discussions dealing with how to incentivize the stupid, the irresponsible, the indigent and the downright lazy. Our welfare system has produced multi-generational poverty and people too fat to leave their government-provided dwellings. These government slums are gang-infested anyway, so it's not just the morbidly obese who are veritable prisoners in these cinderblock jungles.
Government concerns itself with so many questions. How do we keep people off of drugs, get kids to go to school, make parents responsible, reduce crime...
A shared code of morality used to take care of much of this, but shame is dead and virtue sneered at. We're left scratching our heads wondering how we can get irresponsible people to change their destructive behavior.
Natural Consequences
The safety net is now a hammock. The progressive nanny state has spawned multi-generations of innocent victims who no longer know how to care for themselves, and it has also spawned legions of deadbeats gaming the system. Left unchecked it will destroy America; it is already depriving us of the human capital we need to advance the economy.
Cut off all public assistance
No housing, no welfare checks, no food stamps. This would be a wonderful boon to those enslaved by progressivism. People would learn again to be thrifty and self-sufficient. Generous Americans would put their money in local charities that are better able to sort the deadbeats from the truly needy. Best of all, families would grow closer and help one another, as it should be. The moral choice between buying myself a new car or helping my broken down old Dad is crystal clear.
The beauty of this plan is that the incentives are self-evident and the consequences are natural
If sitting on your ass all day swilling sugared drinks and playing XBox instead of going to school has make you fat and stupid, you're going to have a harder time finding a job. You will be unable to buy food and shelter, and you will be saddled with health problems. That's not a nice life to look forward to, but at least you will serve as a warning to others.
WWJD?
Some will call this a cruel policy. I was called all but un-Christian by a liberal in Left Blogistan for suggesting this in a thread. WWJD? I doubt he would advocate a government-run shakedown operation to "spread it around." He commands us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, take care of the widows and orphans... families used to do this until Uncle Sam stepped in, short-circuited our charitable activities and shook us down to build a multibillion dollar Frankenstein's monster.
This is why I say progressives are not evil. They are merely delusional pollyannas who eschew time-tested ways and ignore human nature, instead preferring "modern," "scientific" nostrums cooked up by eggheads. The more pointy-headed the intellectualism, the better.
They had a good run through the 20th century, but reality has a way of reasserting itself. The progressive dream has turned into a nightmare, as it spawns an ever growing criminality, irresponsibility, dependency and despondency. Time to try what's worked since the dawn of time.
A government check lasts days. Virtue and character are timeless.
