In light of the outing of the Democrat’s S-CHIP poster child (more about which you can read here), we should pause to consider all the ways in which taxpayers are asked to subsidize the non-poor (often the rich) in this country:
1. The most obvious is corporate welfare like the Goodyear deal here in North Carolina. It’s done in the name of protecting jobs, but corporate executives benefit at the public trough.
2. "Arts" funding. Whether it’s ballet, opera, or theater, most municipalities require taxpayers who never attend high culture events to bankroll them. Those who do attend – overwhelmingly wealthy people – receive a subsidy to indulge their elite tastes. But if there is a market in such elite tastes, isn’t tax exemption enough? Why must the average taxpayer kick in for a rich person’s ticket? And while I realize that the performing arts are also sometimes supported by philanthropists, that’s all the more reason to stay out of the pockets of taxpayers, particularly since such so often involves ‘art’ people find morally objectionable — such as this infamous example.
3. Wealthy folks fill their pools, water massive lawns, and run their companies on water subsidized by taxpayers. Overconsumption + drought invariably leads to rationing (just as it will with socialized medicine). But it need not be so. All this cost-shifting can easily be resolved by dynamic pricing. And you can give all people – even the poor – a basic fee-based allotment to insure that no one goes without due to price.
There are lots more ways non-poor get subsidies. Feel free add yours in the comments…
-Max Borders
Agriculture subsidies, government bureaucrats and their pensions/health plans, NASCAR subsidies etc., etc.