I think my issue is with the ridiculous compromise.<p>Either government has no authority in this domain (and thus we should have extremely low tax rates and zero overt welfare), or we should actually aim to fix the problem completely (and thus have high tax rates but ensure that everyone has a decent standard of living).<p>The middle route is absurd. It creates situations in which &#x27;abuse&#x27; is even a meaningful concept; it gives arbitrary groups special status.<p>What does &#x27;abuse&#x27; of welfare even mean? In the UK we have media stories about people getting a few grand more than they &#x27;need&#x27; (and thus not having to eat rice and beans every meal). Or getting more than the &#x27;median salary&#x27;, which I take to be evidence that median employees don&#x27;t earn enough.