A new mantra
It seems that a new mantra is popping up in contemporary political journalism, the idea of getting rid of so-called middle class welfare. Paul Daley of the Fairfax group called for it today but he is not alone. The idea is that wealthier parts of the middle class enjoy a form of welfare in terms of subsidies and tax breaks which reduce the amount of money available to help the really needy.
In the economic contraction taking place money for welfare is going to be in short supply, hence from the government’s perspective these measures may well be unavoidable. Some may even argue that such measures should be taken regardless on the state of the economy, rewarding people for buying new laptops or driving their leased cars everywhere is hardly responsible government. However in attacking the lurks and perks of the middle class we are being blinded to protection afforded to the very rich. Hence this debate that journalists now wish to generate is in part a smokescreen, one that shifts public attention away from the real benefactors of government and those that profit immensely from the economic system onto a class of people that one can more easily identify.
By all means get rid of the government handouts to those who don’t really need it but don’t stop with the middle class. Let’s have a seriously good look at the monstrous inequities between the very rich and the very poor and how time and time again the government makes decisions that favour them at the expense of the rest of us.