Let every American prove they “deserve” their government benefits
Paul Waldman on the noxious insistence that poor people must prove they are worthy of government help:
I'm not joking when I say Democrats should demand that everyone who takes the mortgage interest deduction, has a 529 account, or takes advantage of the special treatment of capital gains should have to document their work hours to the govt to prove they aren't lazy bums
Democrats are going to cave on this with some "compromise" because they're cowards, even though every one of them knows work requirements don't encourage work. They're a tool to humiliate people and find excuses to take away their health coverage and food assistance.
And yes, this is one of those cases where the vile GOP position has an intuitive appeal to those who don't understand the policy. But you can't win that argument if you don't engage it, and Democrats are too cowardly to engage it.
Which is why this is a simple way to engage it: "Work requirements for government benefits? Okay. Tell me why people who use the special tax treatment of capital gains shouldn't have to document their work hours to prove they aren't taking advantage of those of us who work hard?"
The fact that under our system, income from work is taxed at a higher rate than income from investments is abominable. Make those who claim they value work defend it. Make them say "Rich heirs who don't work shouldn't have to pay taxes." Because that's what they believe.
Originally tweeted by Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman1) on April 26, 2023.
That is obviously what they believe. Rich heirs are deserving of all the government largesse they can get. As Trump famously said, “that makes me smart…”