Two Pictures that Perfectly Capture the Rise and Fall of the Welfare State
http://blogs.forbes.com/beltway/2011/07/15/two-pictures-that-perfectly-capture-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-welfare-state/
In my speeches, especially when talking about the fiscal crisis in Europe (or the future fiscal crisis in America), I often warn that the welfare state reaches a point-of-no-return when the number of people riding in the wagon begins to outnumber the number of people pulling the wagon.
To be more specific, if more than 50 percent of the population is dependent on government (employed in the bureaucracy, living off welfare, receiving pensions, etc), it becomes rather difficult to form a coalition to fix the mess. This may explain why Greek politicians have resisted significant reforms, even though the nation faces a fiscal death spiral.
But you don’t need me to explain this relationship. One of our Cato interns, Silvia Morandotti, used her artistic skills to create two images (click pictures for better resolution) that show what a welfare state looks like when it first begins and what it eventually becomes.
(Article does continue)
Zim: I lack the technology to upload the picture . .
but it is two frames. The first has a wagon being
pulled by lots of people, and only a few people
riding in it. The second the wagon has a full scale
party going on in it . . . and only a few people
trying to pull it.
Zim.
Mad Poet Strikes Again.
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