They say that love makes the world go round, but money greases the wheels. When it comes to public policy, the same rule applies. Both liberals and conservatives claim that their economic policies help poor people get ahead, but they can’t both be correct. Let’s examine right and left to settle this dispute once and for all.
The left believes that the best way to help poor people is by creating new welfare programs to directly provide for the needy. Through a complex system of programs, poor people can apply to receive free food, free housing, free phone service, free education, and free cash. In theory, these services should give poor people the head start they need to go out and find success. In practice, that’s not always the case. Of course, high taxes are needed to cover the costs of these free services.
The right believes in providing the poor with opportunities. With less government intrusion and lower taxes, businesses can rapidly expand the number of jobs they add to the market. To boost their own profits, companies are incentivized to provide the best and cheapest goods to consumers while paying good wages to secure the very best employees. Those lower taxes also extend to the employees, further bolstering their take-home pay and giving them more opportunity to get ahead.
The key difference between these two worldview is incentive. With high taxes and lots of government welfare programs, the poor have no incentive to get ahead. After all, why work hard to pay lots in taxes when you can just take it easy and rake in the benefits of taxes imposed on others? On the other hand, the conservative worldview gives poor people the incentive they need to become the best people they can be. With low taxes and only minimal government assistance, the needy can have hope of a bright future through hard work. Liberals offer no hope. They want you to beg the government for the rest of your life.
A taste of freedom can be a powerful thing. By lowering taxes, incentivizing hard work, and breaking the chains of government dependency, we can create a better future for America’s poor and working class.
