Quote:
Originally Posted by Slava
Peter, the fact is that there are always free riders, no matter what the system is or who it is intended to help. You can't base your system on the lowest common denominator though, or else no one gets any help.
Maybe this is not a good question to ask (the thread might be completely de-railed!) but, what is "smart social spending"?
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Smart social spending is making sure you maximize your citizens' hard-earned tax dollars and not frivously spending it for political means.
Free-riders and poor spending will always be an ugly side of state social programs and government budgets. However, there are smart policy options which help maximize tax dollars and cut back on waste. Simply rolling your eyes and saying "oh well, there will always be waste", you don't help solve any problems, but continue to perpetuate the myths that blanket government programs actually do a decent job in providing care for citizens.
The policy options are out there, and they aren't necessarily the domain of left or right. There are options that simply work better than the ones we have in place.
In regards to our healthcare system, Canada's "universal" public healthcare is wasteful and bloated, without providing a decent standard (globally) of care to Canadians. By introducing a well-planned two-tier system (see: France) you can cut out waste, encourage responsibility abd choice, while providing much better care.