Freeloaders drive up the cost of the system, but I would expect much less so than the current weight of bureaucracy and case workers. Suppose that fully 20% of the U.S. Population had 2.5 free meals a day (at $2 each) and stayed in a $15 motel room. That’s 50 million people times $20/day. A billion dollars/day or $365 billion/year. Congressional Budget Office figures show that our current welfare system cost about $324 billion in 1993. My open-handed system, though, delivers many more services. I’m much happier to pay taxes for the open-handed system because I can see myself as a beneficiary. If I just want to crash for the night when I’m out of town, why spring for a fancy hotel room? If I want a fast meal, why not let Uncle Sam give me back a couple of my tax dollars?
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