Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Alternative to the Welfare State

"The welfare system actively prevents our pursuit of happiness. It discourages enterprise, innovation, risk, work, marriage, and personal responsibility for procuring medical care, caring for loved ones and saving for the future. It outsources compassion and criminalizes common sense."

Anybody want to argue with that?

Read this short article. It endorses Charles Murray's latest thinking about an alternative to the welfare state; that government should redistribute money directly to all individuals over 21 ($10,000 pa) and get out of everything else - health, education and social welfare. I need to read the book to be convinced of such a scheme but, as an improvement on what we do now, I wouldn't dismiss it out-of-hand. Nothing that comes out of Charles Murray's head should ever be dismissed.

1 comment:

Moneo said...

I see it pretty much as:

""The welfare system actively assists (b)our(/b} pursuit of happiness. It encourages productivity, saving, a good standard of health for all, and an equal footing in society for the children of the disadvantaged. It is a way for us to show our collective compassion and just makes good sense.."