THE FAILED WAR ON POVERTY: Seven years after LBJ's War on Poverty, the poverty rate stopped falling. Why? Government handouts encouraged poor Americans to become dependent. Teaching a man to be self-reliant helps him far more, and private charities and markets do a much better job of this than government.
BIG GOVERNMENT VS. CAPITALISM: There are three ways to help people: Government, charity, or free markets. Markets work better than charity, and charity works better than government, but when I asked people whether government or capitalism helps people more, most said charity or government. If you study the data, its clear markets are superior to charity.
CAPITALISM THAT CARES: Another example of how markets work better than government: Obamacare requires everyone to have health insurance, but government-approved insurance distorts the market and raises prices. Fortunately, some medical clinics don't take health insurance. We went to check one of these places out.
SLACKTIVISM: By now, we've all heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Lots of people did that and posted it to their Facebook pages. The Ice Bucket Challenge did raise a lot of money, but often people donated nothing. Sumpto.com founder Ben Kosinski calls that "Slacktivism."
PRISON UNIVERSITY: 20 years ago President Clinton decided that taxpayers shouldn't be forced to fund college for prisoners through Pell grants. So a charity called Hudson Link stepped in to offer courses. Now it does a much better job than government. Prisoners who were previously uninspired now want to do well.
MY TAKE: This is the season for giving. But let's not forget that the people who do the most for the poor are capitalists, honest ones, the majority who create things rather than feeding off government. They do more good for the world than government and the politicians who promise "public service".
