A Welfare Economics Anecdote
May 12th, 2008 axiomatic, economic, political
Once upon a time in the land of Grossly Simplified Political Ideologies:
John McCain and Hillary Clinton were walking down the street and came to a homeless person. John McCain, gave him his business card and told him to come to his office for a job. He then took $20 out of his pocket and gave it to the homeless person. Hillary was impressed, so when they came to another homeless person, she stepped forward to help. She gave him directions to the welfare office, then reached into McCain’s pocket and got out another $20. She kept $15 for administrative costs and gave the homeless person $5.
3 Comments Add your own
1. kati | May 12th, 2008 at 9:22 am
I’m surprised McCain didn’t send him to the recruiters office to join the war!
2. dave | May 12th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Good call. Food, clothing, roof, signing bonus! Sadly, so many of our homeless are former soldiers mentally and socially unable to return to society due to the things they were commanded to do and endure. They were likely poor before they joined, but now they’re destitute. I’d have to guess that the war machine has produced many more homeless than it could ever employ.
3. Bill | May 13th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
It’s seems real easy to overlook the obvious point of the story if your preconceived notions are what guides your thinking. Thanks for the economics lesson!
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