Less Welfare, More Charity
Published on 8-23-14
Excerpted from the CATO Institute (www.cato.org). Written by Michael D. Tanner – Originally Published on www.nationalreview.com, August 20, 2014
In 1985, wealthy New York businessman George McDonald was moved by the plight of the city’s homeless population; he was particularly struck by the story of a woman who had frozen to death on the streets after being ejected from Grand Central Station. Initially, he responded by providing the homeless with free meals, but he soon found that his generosity was doing nothing to help beneficiaries to improve their situation. The same people continued to show up for food month after month. His willingness to help might have kept people from going hungry, but it did nothing to help them rise out of poverty.
