Saturday, April 18, 2009

Well Said, Daniel Hannan

by Smitty (h/t DH's blog)

[Iain Duncan Smith]'s big idea is very simply stated. Poverty is not simply an absence of money. Rather, it is bound up with a whole set of other circumstances: lack of qualifications, demoralisation, family break-up, substance abuse, fatherlessness. It follows that you do not end poverty by giving money to the poor: a theory that British welfarism has amply demonstrated over 60 years. Only when you tackle poverty holistically will you facilitate meaningful improvement.

1 comment:

  1. Wal Mart was refused zoning permission to build in Detroit. No major grocery chains exist in the poor areas of Detroit, so the folks living on food stamps end up buying a lot of stuff from "convenience" stores.

    How far do food stamps go when buying a few liters of "Coke" and chips with bean dip as staples at quickee-mart prices?

    The buses don't run all the way to the suburbs, so the only smart way to get groceries is what many women do: carpool to Wal Mart.

    But the same dummies that refused to let Wal Mart into town will be reelected. Count on it.

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