We’ve all heard the term ‘corporate welfare’. What exactly is corporate welfare? Why is it used? What is social welfare? What is the difference between corporate welfare and social welfare?
Corporate welfare: Corporate welfare is a sociological concept that tries to compare corporate subsidies to societal welfare. The term is often used derogatorily to describe a government’s use of grants, tax breaks, or other favorable treatment towards corporations. It also implies that corporations are much less needy of such treatment than the poor.
Why is corporate welfare used?: There are a number of reasons why tax breaks and other incentives are given to corporations. They include trying to revitalize a section of a city with new job opportunities by bring in new businesses or keeping established businesses from leaving. Or, to perform a service the government is woefully inadequate or lack the expertise to perform… and may also help train the local workforce with skills that could be used to gain employment elsewhere.
Social welfare: Social welfare is basically society paying the way for the poor with little or no expectations of the poor to become self sufficient.
What is the difference between the two?: Its obvious, if one were to compare the two side by side… corporate welfare provides jobs and indirectly, taxes, via a sustained or increasing workforce. Social welfare provides nothing but a free handout to people in the name of ‘compassion’.
My conclusion: More than a trillion dollars have been spent since Lyndon Johnson’s ‘Great Society’ and what do we have to show for it? More people now are on welfare than ever before. The truth is this… there will always be segment of the population on the bottom rungs of the socio-economic ladder. That’s just a fact of life. The great experiment, known as the United States, does not promise equal opportunities or equal outcomes. It holds out the chance to make something of yourselves and achieving your dreams on your terms. It holds that same opportunity out to each subsequent generation. In my opinion, societal welfare, over time, robs people of their dignity, their character, and in the end… their dreams. It does this because there is no expectation of them to perform or to better themselves. Its much easier to let someone else take care of their basic needs than to earn their own way in life… to be responsible for their actions and accept the consequences of their choices. To me, this is sinful.