Welfare Quote by Mark Steyn
““The end-game for statists is very obvious. If you expand the bureaucratic class and you expand the dependent class, you can put together a permanent electoral majority. In political terms, a welfare check is a twofer: you're assuring yourself of the votes of both the welfare recipient and of the mammoth bureaucracy required to process his welfare.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Political Commentary, Mark Steyn, 2005
Statists seek to grow bureaucracy and dependency to secure a lasting voting bloc, linking welfare recipients and administrators.
In simple terms: Statists expand bureaucracy and welfare to lock in votes.
Key Takeaway
Beware policies that trade power for permanent voter bases.
Themes
politics
power
welfare
bureaucracy
electoral strategy
Mood
cautious
critical
analytical
Type
political
analytical
critical
When to use this quote
- election campaigns
- policy design
- public administration
- social program reform
Key Concepts
clientelism
dependency theory
statecraft
Questions to Reflect On
- How does welfare dependency affect democratic accountability?
- What alternatives can reduce bureaucratic power?
A Different Perspective
May ignore individual autonomy and create entrenched elites.
![“In the name of short-term stimulus, he [Obama] will give every American family (who makes less than $200,000) a welfare check of $1,000 euphemistically called a refundable tax credit. And he will so sharply cut taxes on the middle class and the poor that the number of Americans who pay no federal…” quote by Dick Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ede/dick-morris-4948_american-family_in-the-name-of-short-term-stimulus-he-ob_640426.jpg)
