This is a common objection (from conservatives at least), but I don't get it. There are already tons of transfer payments and middle class entitlements used for social engineering; that door has been open for decades and the horses are long gone. The FairTax reduces the amount of manipulation by replacing many of those programs with a single check.
if they succeed in the drastic step of going to something like the fairtax then why not go all the way to eliminating social engineering altogether at the same time.