The Welfare State

[autisticdragonkin]

What do other kiwis think about the Welfare State. Some argue for it because they say it is altruistic. Some argue against it because they think that it removes incentive to work. Some argue for it as some sort of efficiency wage subsidy. Some argue against it for moral reasons

Personally I am ambiguous towards it and support a form in which everyone gets a set amount of money from the government every month to spend on food and similar things and if someone commits a crime then they will receive a reduction in this amount. Through this people have more to lose from committing crimes so they will be less likely to do so.

 

[Ahffline]

I'm in favour of the Social Safety Net. Yes, there's always the potential for abuse of the programs, but even when abuse occurs, it pales in comparison to the billions paid by governments to bailout and subsidize industries and private sector companies.

I'm curious as to how Finland's experiment of cutting all welfare programs and replacing them with a monthly allowance available to all Finns will play out. Will it improve efficiency and cut down on bureaucratic overspending? Will the extra money in the citizens' pockets stimulate the national economy? If it succeeds, I'd like for Canada to adopt the same approach.