When the Safety Net Becomes a Hammock
MINOT, N.D. — For years, conservatives have been arguing that lavish safety net programs disincentivize productivity and, for just as many years, our progressive friends have told us that this is balderdash.
Then the pandemic came along, and with it a raft of generous economic intervention from the government, including thousands of dollars per-person in direct stimulus payments and, perhaps most notably, expansive unemployment benefits.
The net result? Many people who could work are choosing not to despite plenty of available jobs both nationally and right here in North Dakota.
Now our progressive friends are moving the goalposts. People aren’t going back to work? That’s only because employers aren’t paying enough? If they’d only offer higher wages, and more benefits, the problem will be solved!
