to Dana

Last summer I went to Oregon for a funeral and wound up in a conversation with my conservative cousin.  We did not have much time and we never got to finish.  Here is some stuff I wish I had said.

Thanks for sharing about your lazy friend who collects welfare.  I think I see where you were headed interjecting this into our conversation about stimulating the economy.  I don't like paying taxes either.  But there are a few points to your argument that Glenn Beck may not be encouraging you to examine. 

1. specific examples don't prove anything.  One underserving person does not invalidate the need for public assistance.  Dude, I you forgot I was a Social Worker: there are people who actually need help and cannot do for themselves.  Mainly they are women with kids who have left their husbands.  Why don't they stay, you ask?  Because they were tired of getting beat up or are worried about their kids getting beat up or raped/pimped.  I know you don't see that much but I did. Ok, mostly the getting beat up part. 

2. you are not the only one with values.  You are telling me people should keep what they earn and get what they deserve.  I believe people seldom are compensated for what they actually produce.   Further, I think we have an obligation to care for the people who need help and as a society we need to plan for the future to help people meet their own needs and be productive.  So who's values are better or more important?  It doesn't really matter. We can't make policy decisions based on ideology and expect positive results in the real world.  We need to look and see what works and use that information to guide policy.  Right now there is not enough buying happening.  The only way to change that is to give money to people who will spend it.  That means taxing the very richest people, who do not produce and who save their income, and subsidise the poorest.  Money given to a poor person will get spent. 

In the end, if your friend has more cash he will buy more stuff at your convenience store, are you going to refuse his cash if he got it as a handout?