One of the most maddening developments in our discussion of social-welfare policy over the last couple of decades has been the acquiescence of our leaders---across the ideological spectrum, frankly---to the concept that programs such as Medicaid and food stamps aren't initiatives that satisfy basic human needs but are a privilege our society bestows upon its less fortunate members as some sort of temporary favor. Favors, of course, are not open-ended and need to be repaid, but since poor people generally don't have the money to repay us, we must reserve the right to withhold or withdraw our favors in order to teach the lower orders a lesson in thrift. This only reinforces the idea, naturally favored by the wealthy, that poor people are poor because they're morally deficient, and not because of any extant socioeconomic conditions that might create or perpetuate cycles of poverty; thus can we marginalize them to the fringes of policy discussion, and the next thing you know, tens of millions of people have been rendered invisible. Not constructive!
I guess what I am trying to get at is, our leaders need to abandon this socially corrosive mindset that turns millions of people into pariahs, and stop calling these programs "entitlements"---because the ability to remain free from sickness and starvation shouldn't be considered privileges at all but fundamental human rights.
---Baron V
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