The Cost of Government Childcare. How do you rein in the welfare state? By Brian Almon (08/20/24)

gemstate.substack.com/p/the-cost-of-gov…

Brian writes: “People used to take care of themselves, and when they fell on hard times, their families or communities usually stepped in to help.”

Now, parents seem to rely more and more upon the state to provide childcare and other benefits. Government subsidies create a culture of dependence and distort the market.

Brian explains the ballooning costs of tax-supported benefits. He states that:

Government welfare programs always begin with good intentions, as safety nets for fellow citizens who fall on hard times. Yet each one inevitably turns into a lifestyle of subsidies. Too many government agencies measure success by the number of people who enroll in their programs, when true success would mean everyone is able to take care of themselves. That, however, would mean that the agency no longer has a reason to exist, which creates backwards incentives.

Read this article to learn just how much Idaho is spending on these welfare programs and discover some reforms that have begun under Alex Adams’ directorship of IDHW.

ED NOTE: We must completely change the paradigm of government assistance: Measure success by how many people become self-sufficient and leave the government program. We also should measure medical care — especially tax-funded Medicare and Medicaid — the same way: How many people get well, not how many use the system. Only pay for treatment success, not treatment failure (which leads to continued use of the system and bad health outcomes).