<Without welfare payments, those children who are nothing more than a ticket to ride for many would be sent off to relatives or adoption agencies, church groups, or others, who would with love take them under their wings.>
That's a comforting picture. But it's just as likely, the children end up abandoned, becoming prostitutes, selling drugs for a living, or joining a gang and sticking a knife in your back to get your wallet.
In the U.S., we actually carried out this experiment, with mentally ill people. Back in the 1950s, they were warehoused in institutions, at taxpayer expense. Then, the "mainstreaming" ideology took over. All the ugly, evil institutions were closed down. The mentally ill were now supposed to live in the community. The theory was, with adequate support services (counseling, outpatient medical care, job training) their lives would be improved. Turns out, the support services were never funded, and the mentally ill were just thrown out in the street and abandoned. It didn't even save any money, since these unfortunate people end up in emergency rooms and jails regularly.
You can tell how civilized a society is, by how well they take care of their most vulnerable members. |
