Reply To: Government programs are not tzedakah

squeak,

I’m baffled why you ask me to differentiate between EITC and EBT when I said they are the same to me.

Sorry. I was not intending to single you out with my question, but rather pose it to the “group.”

What was your question? You’re confused as to why people are upset that the system works so well that it seems like welfare receipients have it better than hard working people? Yeah run that by me again.

You are correct that those on assistance programs have it better than those whose income levels are still very low but end up just above the thresholds. That’s a structural problem; perhaps there should be a higher threshold, or a proportional benefits model instead of a hard cutoff. But do you really think that those legally receiving assistance are by and large enjoying the good life?

As to child tax credits, those are in the same category as giving tax exemptions for dependents. The country wants its citizens to have families and offers a financial incentive.

I’ve never seen it billed in that fashion. It’s usually “to help the middle class.”