Why the GOP's war against welfare programs is both cruel and pointless

Cutting aid to the poor isn't the way to boost employment

Blank Social Security checks are run through a printer.
(Image credit: (William Thomas Cain/Getty Images))

Why do people work?

That question is at the center of the conservative case against anti-poverty programs. Republicans like Rand Paul conclude that policies like disability insurance or the Earned Income Tax Credit take away a key motivation — putting food on the table — that propels people to look for work. Thus these policies must be reducing labor supply and economic growth.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.