Targeting money at just the truly needy looks good at first glance and it actually does work where there is no choice mixed with the need, such as for the severely handicapped. Throw in choice and you get moral hazard. Give money to the unemployed and the recipients lose if they get a job. Give it to single mothers and they lose if they get married. Give it to the broke and recipients lose if they save money.
Give a fixed amount to everyone, and the poor get a safety net while still having incentive to better their lives. We can virtually end poverty in this country and restore the work ethic of the welfare class!
You might not need government money for free, but the society you live in does. Our government wastes enormous resources determining who gets largesse. Replace the welfare state with a citizen's dividend and we all benefit:
Democrats get a virtual end to poverty and wage slavery, and the option to be a hippie if they so choose.
Libertarians get a scaled down government and less regulations.
Of course many special interests benefit from the current Frankensystem, so We The People will have to do a bit of work before we all get our monthly government check.
