The prioritization of inequality over poverty is attributed to envy in some cases but more often to a violation of some sense of fairness. But just as we should care not the think of the poor as a single entity, we should be even more cautious not to group the rich or even the super-rich as a single faceless group. Some of the super wealthy have benefited us all, and some have abused the system to their advantage while providing little value. We should distinguish between the rent seekers and the rich who have improved our lives.
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“The data reveal just how far entitlements have departed from their original purpose of providing a measure of security from economic destitution among the elderly, the disabled, and the unemployed and to alleviate poverty among the general population. In 2015, 62 percent of recipient households, encompassing over 100 million U.S. residents, had incomes that were above the poverty line prior to the receipt of assistance. “
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The left is unable or unwilling to articulate any limitation of the welfare state and unable or unwilling to acknowledge the social costs of long term dependency. Moves to push the recipients to work must recognize and correct the policy
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“By now it should be clear how all this relates to the “improvidence of the poor.” Unfortunately, talking about the self-defeating choices poor people so often make generates a lot of discomfort, because it is usually the first step of
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William McGurn writes The Poverty Preening of Professor Obama in The Wall Street Journal: Excerpt: Now, leave aside the argument of whether poverty owes more to a lack of government spending or to family structure and other social breakdowns. Truth
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From Townhall Walter Williams writes The True Black Tragedy excerpts: Today the overwhelming majority of black children are raised in single female-headed families. As early as the 1880s, three-quarters of black families were two-parent. In 1925 New York City, 85
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From the October 2014 issue of Hillsdale’s Imprimis, William Voegeli writes The Case Against Liberal Compassion Excerpt: It follows, then, that the answer to the question of how liberals who profess to be anguished about other people’s suffering can be so
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From the Editors of National Review, The Fifty Year War. Excerpts: Trillions of dollars have been spent, and the number of Americans living in poverty is higher today than it was in 1964, while the poverty rate has held steady
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Charles Martin writes in Pajamas Media, The End of Poverty in America: In any case, though, this seems to be a solution in search of a problem, because there is no poverty in America, and I can prove it. According
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Kevin Williams in National Review, A Shocking Number: Fifty years into the Democrats’ declaration of a war on poverty and President Kennedy’s first executive order for affirmative action, while spending $300 million a year onworthless diversity workshops and singing endless verses
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Ralph Reiland writes A Key Economic Lesson in American Spectator, 1/2/13 Excerpts: In 2012, “the federal government will spend more than $668 billion on at least 126 different programs to fight poverty,” in addition to “welfare spending by state and
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Victor Davis Hanson writes Ripples from the Election in The National Review, 12/11/12. Excerpt: In the new climate of “fat cats,” “corporate jet owners,” “pay your fair share,” “you didn’t build that,” and “1 percent,” the more Americans have, the more
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Mark Wilson writes The Negative Effects of Minimum Wage Laws in the Cato Institute Policy Analysis, 6/21/12 Some summary points from his paper: 1.8 million hourly workers were paid the minimum wage in 2010. Of those 49% were aged 24
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The work of noted economist John Maynard Keynes is used to justify a bigger government role in the economy. After the recent (or more accurately current) crisis it is understandable that many would return to this economist. Yet most who
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