A Stitch in Haste

New York City's Republican ultra-liberal mayor, Michael Bloomberg, wants everyone, absolutely everyone, to be eligible for food stamps:

The waiver now being sought by the city, which is expected to be approved by the federal government, would affect adults ages 18 to 49 who are not responsible for a child or incapacitated relative and are not physically or mentally unfit for work. The federal welfare overhaul of 1996 imposed a three-month limit on food stamps in any three-year period for this group, known as able-bodied adults without dependents.

Make no mistake about it: If you believe that "adults ages 18 to 49 who are not responsible for a child or incapacitated relative and are not physically or mentally unfit for work" are entitled to food stamps, then you believe that everyone, absolutely everyone, is entitled to food stamps. There can be no rational basis for excluding anyone from such a program.

Which is the same as saying that you really have no principles whatsoever, liberal or otherwise. For if your concern is truly for the deserving poor, then you don't demonstrate it by expanding the public tax burden to subsidizing the undeserving poor. It is neither unreasonable nor cruel to insist that those who can work either do so or rely on private charity — which, incidentally, is abundant in this city.

Libertarians can afford, and endorse, a modest and reasonable welfare state where those truly unable to care for themselves are not expected to. But this isn't that. This is just politicians being politicians, with no sense of responsibility and no sense of ethics. Just keep spending other people's money on whatever gives you that self-serving warm fuzzy feeling until either your term, or the money, runs out. And then pat yourself on the back for your "compassion."

That's no way to run a city. And it's no way to help the poor.

UPDATE: Oops -- backlash! Never mind.