SUMMARY: The author argues, “I think that no-strings-attached money is a dangerously bad idea and that it would do far more to undermine poverty-fighting efforts than it would to strengthen them. I also think that meddlesome caseworkers are the unsung heroes of the fight against poverty. … New York City is on the cusp of a grand experiment to increase the flow of no-strings-attached money to its poor citizens. This will end badly. … There is far more to say about how we can fix America’s social welfare programs. But before we can expand them or shrink them or modernize them, we must first ensure that they rest on a solid moral foundation. And that, ultimately, is what work requirements are all about.”
Reihan Salam, writes for Slate and the National Review. He is the co-author, with Ross Douthat, of Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream.
Reihan Salam, “Unconditional basic income? You’re kidding: Slate opinion,” The Oregonian, June 5, 2014.
New York City's new mayor, Bill de Blasiot via the Oregonian. His team has "announced their intention to ease the enforcement of work requirements. They will no longer require that food-stamp applicants provide proof of their housing expenses, nor will they ask able-bodied adults without children to look for work in exchange for food stamps."
