Means Testing Is Stupid
Means testing is stupid.
Means testing is when we have a government benefit for poor people (stimulus checks, student loan forgiveness, food stamps, what have you), and we want to make sure that the recipients are poor enough to qualify.
We can't have too much money going to someone who doesn't deserve it, someone who doesn't "work hard enough", can we?
Means testing is expensive. It costs a non-zero amount of money to check whether someone is poor enough to afford something.
Means testing is redundant. If someone is seeking the benefit, they probably need it!
You don't see rich people lining up for soup kitchens and bread lines. In the case of student loan forgiveness, the people are already means-tested! They are clearly poor enough to have loans!
I'd rather see 100 guilty men go free than one innocent main jailed (or worse, killed). In the same way, I'd rather pay for 100 people who don't "need" a service than for a single person to starve for want of it.
And isn't helping people, helping each other, the best use of our collective tax money? I'd rather lift someone to dignity than build yet another bomber.