Otto von Bismarck: The Man Behind the Modern Welfare State

Thomas Sowell on the welfare state:

"The welfare state is the oldest con game in the world. First you take people's money away quietly, and then you give some of it back to them flamboyantly...It has always been judged by its good intentions, rather than its bad results...It shields people from the consequences of their own mistakes, allowing irresponsibility to continue and to flourish among ever wider circles of people...It is not really about the welfare of the masses. It is about the egos of the elites."