That is communism. And that is the very rhetoric of communism, that such things must be under the control of a central government rather than the purview of families. Keep it up at the risk of your credibility.
But, if subsidies are given equally to all citizens, then there is at least a potential for equity and fairness …
“And that is the very rhetoric of communism”
No it is not.
Communism is where all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.
Communism and socialism are both means tested.
What I described is equitable and fair even if it is not necessarily desirable. That is, all government subsidies, grants, etc. should NOT be means tested. The only test should be if you are a citizen.
Do we need a housing subsidy? a food subsidy? a medical care subsidy? Maybe, maybe not. But giving the same amount to all citizens whether they have any wealth or income along with very wealthy, high-income citizens would at least be equitable.
If you think what I described is Communism, you need to study some more. It isn’t. Such a plan would be anathema to any socialist or communist.
Again, I am not advocating a basic income, but I am saying it is not necessarily anti-conservative. Means testing is anti-conservative, progressive, liberal, socialistic, and moves us toward Communism.
Ironically, you want MORE means testing. So do a lot of misguided conservative leaning people because they realize that government subsidies are not going away, so they consider it a necessary evil. And the idea is that stricter means testing is a way to reduce government dependency.
Only it never really works out that way.
We need to greatly restrict how government can spend money. It ought to live within a budget. Perhaps the budget should adapt to economic conditions. Perhaps government salaries should also go up and down based on how much citizens are earning. And perhaps all government subsidies should require a periodic public vote. Maybe votes should be weighted by how much taxes each voter contributes. That might counterbalance the inclination to vote ones self a raise.
It is possible to implement a social safety net without moving us toward socialism or communism. Getting rid of means testing would be part of what is necessary to do this.
And paying our enemies to immigrate and take over is certainly not a way to implement a social safety net in a conservative fashion. We must quit that.