Replies

The welfare state can't be gotten rid of, because it will reduce most Americans to poverty.

First, most Americans would not get an education if it weren't for public schools.

Second, most Americans would not be able to go to college were it not for veteran's benefits or student loans.

Third, almost no Americans could pay the cost of medical care in their final year of life, when they have no income.

Fourth, absent Social Security, hardly any Americans have the means to support themselves on their own investments through the end of life.

Fifth, there would be a lot of starving factory workers and their families whenever there's an economic downturn and layoffs, but for unemployment insurance.

We need the social welfare state if most of us don't want to be ignorant, poor, and die in penury and without modern medical treatment.

We also need it if we don't want to be beset by crime and have the constant risk of popular revolt.

So no, it's not possible to convince any sort of working majority in America to ever dismantle the welfare state. People are not going to vote against their own security like that.

We really ought to put that sort of thing out of our mind as a goal. It's not even a DESIREABLE goal, when you get right down to it. We need to social welfare state. But it needs to be efficient, supervised and well-regulated, not a sprawling, wasteful mess. And on THAT we can work.