When people have welfare what happens is, they enter the gray market. They take a tile job and pocket $500. Then they mow lawns or shovel snow or do handyman work.
“Yes. It provides a lot of bad incentives.”
After I wrote the post I was thinking about the people I have dealt with who were in the gray market instead of the labor market. Why, when they would be so much better off in the labor market are they living off welfare and pickup jobs? Then, based on what I’d seen, it hit me. Imagine how your stress level goes down if you don’t have to be sober Monday morning. Imagine how much more “freedom” you have when you don’t have to worry about being drug tested.
Studies have shown if you require drug testing that people get off welfare all on their own. While at the work center taking a computer class the welfare people would come in. While waiting they’d take their cell phone calls outside and lean against the window where we were in class and do drug deals and take custom theft orders. “Yeah, I was in a house with one of those the other night. I’ll go back again and get it.” (Actual conversation about stealing flat screen TV’s.)